Our statewide investigation analyzes policies at 75 facilities representing 74 counties across Ohio. More than half of jails, 40 of the 75, charge people for their incarceration through a booking fee, a daily fee, or both. Ohioans are getting billed up to $66.09 a day to be in jail.
Yep! And (not to downplay the struggles of being a working class person with a mortgage but) you at least have the privilege of, y’know, not being in prison so you can get a job to pay off said debt as time goes on.
These guys just get dumped out of prison only to immediately be saddled with that ruinous financial burden.
Not to mention it’s hard to get a job or apartment fresh out of prison. Which is why recidivism is 80%+ in the US. You get paid pennies an hour for the work you do inside then get released with almost no money to start over. It’s a vicious cycle.
Imagine being charged twice your mortgage for a crime you didn’t commit. It’s fucking Ohio, no way this isn’t happening to at least a few people. I’d lose my goddamn mind.
Yeah we’re a weird mix of terrible but mad about it. By all rights we’re supposed to still be super purple, but our state government is so gerrymandered we get punished for passing ballot measures.
“Well as long as they’re working full time while inside, at least they can use that to pay for incarceration. It actually does seem fair that they need to be working instead of literally just sitting around, and then that can pay for their right to continue to exist.”
And note that people in jail have not necessarily even been to court yet. They just can’t afford bail. They might be found not guilty and still have to pay for their time locked up.
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Per ACLU Ohio:
66 bucks a day? That’s twice my mortgage.
Yep! And (not to downplay the struggles of being a working class person with a mortgage but) you at least have the privilege of, y’know, not being in prison so you can get a job to pay off said debt as time goes on.
These guys just get dumped out of prison only to immediately be saddled with that ruinous financial burden.
Not to mention it’s hard to get a job or apartment fresh out of prison. Which is why recidivism is 80%+ in the US. You get paid pennies an hour for the work you do inside then get released with almost no money to start over. It’s a vicious cycle.
Recidivism or suicide machine. Disability is no better. No one can survive on it. We have Nazi death camps without the balls to gas everyone.
Imagine being charged twice your mortgage for a crime you didn’t commit. It’s fucking Ohio, no way this isn’t happening to at least a few people. I’d lose my goddamn mind.
And to clarify, it’s not just Ohio, but a common practice in most states. Ohio was just the first to be investigated in detail for its behaviors. 👍
Yeah we’re a weird mix of terrible but mad about it. By all rights we’re supposed to still be super purple, but our state government is so gerrymandered we get punished for passing ballot measures.
Even if you did commit the crime it’s still immoral.
And even better, it’s totally legal to pay a prisoner less than minimum wage for whatever labor they contribute.
Is there a list of companies which use prison labour?
“Well as long as they’re working full time while inside, at least they can use that to pay for incarceration. It actually does seem fair that they need to be working instead of literally just sitting around, and then that can pay for their right to continue to exist.”
“Okay, so we could do that, but also, hear me out for a second”
But you don’t have as much hired help. You have to take into account the room service.
And note that people in jail have not necessarily even been to court yet. They just can’t afford bail. They might be found not guilty and still have to pay for their time locked up.