Very weird that I am so old and have literally never heard this mentioned in a TV show or book or movie or anything.

In four out of five states, if you go to prison, you are literally paying for the time you spend there.

As you can guess, this results in crippling debt as soon as you’re released.

The county gets back a fraction of what they hold over your head the rest of your life until you commit suicide(or die naturally and peacefully with the sword of damocles hanging over your head).

$20-$80 a day according to Rutgers.

Counties apparently sue people and employ wage garnishment to get back the money that majority of people obviously cannot pay back.

https://www.rutgers.edu/news/states-unfairly-burdening-incarcerated-people-pay-stay-fees

  • elephantium@lemmy.world
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    7 months ago

    I read the wiki page. Pretty barebones, but it did link to https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-34705968

    In theory, I could entertain an argument about having criminals repay some of the costs of dealing with them, that’s not what’s going on here.

    The sum that is able to be collected doesn’t go straight into the county coffers, either - the jail contracts with a company

    The jail gets 30%, the company gets 70%.

    It really just looks like just another way to exploit prisoners for profit.

  • filister@lemmy.world
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    7 months ago

    Isn’t the US famous for their prison for profit, where prisons are privately owned and states need to pay if there are fewer incarcerated people inside?

    To me, this sounds straight from 1984.

    • Varyk@sh.itjust.worksOP
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      7 months ago

      Yeah, the states is the most country with for-profit prisons, and not coincidentally incarcerates the 6th highest percentage of its population of any country, just about half a percent of the total population at any time, or somewhere under 2 million people.

      But boy howdy, do those percentages change when you control for economic class and ethnicity.

  • Today@lemmy.world
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    7 months ago

    I have a friend who was in. Outrageously expensive! Paid ‘rent’, paid for various classes he was required to take, and paid for each mandatory random drig test. Plus, what they have to pay for phone calls is crazy!!

    • Varyk@sh.itjust.worksOP
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      7 months ago

      Yeah that is totally crazy.

      I’ve obviously heard from movies and stuff that you have to pay for your phone calls, but not once have I sienna depicted prisoners paying for their jail time and paying for the classes they take prison.

      It’s totally insane

  • FlashMobOfOne@lemmy.world
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    7 months ago

    That’s the beauty of both ruling parties being 100% in support of the prison industrial complex. In fact, our current president even helped usher through the '94 Crime Bill, which keeps prisons nice and full for his golf buddies and institutional donors.

        • fukurthumz420@lemmy.world
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          7 months ago

          criticize him all you want… after he’s elected.

          we all hate the either/or state of american politics, but it’s still the reality. live in reality, ppl.

      • FlashMobOfOne@lemmy.world
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        7 months ago

        I vote third party.

        Choosing between a giant douche and a turd sandwich isn’t very appealing to me.

        Also, people like you pretending you didn’t need the votes of people like me is how we got Trump in the first place.

        • fukurthumz420@lemmy.world
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          7 months ago

          sure. hold humanity hostage because you can’t get exactly what you want, traitor. i’m not going to kiss your ass to vote for practical results. if you’re too blind to see what you’re doing, you can live with the consequences. i have a feeling you have a lot more time left on this planet than i do, junior.

  • state_electrician@discuss.tchncs.de
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    7 months ago

    This is some serious “keep hitting yourself” material. It’s not like you can decide to not be incarcerated. $7300-$29200 of debt per year spent in prison. Man, that is some vicious shit. Nobody will be able to convince me that this is not specifically designed to keep people down forever.

    • redcalcium@lemmy.institute
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      7 months ago

      It would be nice if the prisoners could take class or earn a degree while in prison, at least when they get out they have a new skill or a degree so they have a better chance to get a job to pay off their prison debt.