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

  • Varyk@sh.itjust.worksOP
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    11
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    8 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

      • elvith@feddit.de
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        8
        arrow-down
        1
        ·
        8 months ago

        Let me guess - long distance is if it’s outside the prison? /s

        • olav@theweird.space
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          2
          arrow-down
          6
          ·
          8 months ago

          @Varyk I didn’t say that. AFAIK you’re mostly down to having friends send you money for soap and toothpaste

          • Varyk@sh.itjust.worksOP
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            9
            ·
            8 months ago

            What do you mean by your comment “I think it’s forgiven if you take the job making license plates at $2/hr sometimes $2/day”?

            • olav@theweird.space
              link
              fedilink
              arrow-up
              2
              arrow-down
              4
              ·
              8 months ago

              @Varyk ultimately they want the slave labor for the companies they contract with.

              I mean even when it’s not a corporate “for-profit” prison it’s still for-profit by the government. Even in California

              • Varyk@sh.itjust.worksOP
                link
                fedilink
                English
                arrow-up
                7
                ·
                8 months ago

                I’m missing something, because all of your comments are way out of context.

                Were you trying to respond to somebody else initially?

                • PineRune@lemmy.world
                  link
                  fedilink
                  English
                  arrow-up
                  3
                  arrow-down
                  1
                  ·
                  edit-2
                  8 months ago

                  They will pay prisoners pennies an hour for hard labor, which offsets their “rent.” Those that don’t work not only get punished in prison for disobedience but get riddled with debt afterward.