A one-night stay? Ninety dollars. Need to see a doctor? Ten bucks. Want toilet paper? Pay for it yourself.
In the ever-widening search for extra income during desperate economic times, states across the nation are embracing a new idea: making inmates pay their debt to society not only in hard time, but also in cold, hard cash. In New York, GOP Assemblyman James Tedisco introduced a bill that would charge wealthy criminals $90 a day for room and board at state prisons.
Dubbed the “Madoff Bill,” after billion-dollar Ponzi schemer Bernard Madoff, the legislation is designed to ease the $1 billion annual cost of incarcerating prisoners. “This concept says if you can afford it, or even some of it, you’re going to help the beleaguered taxpayers who play by the rules,” Tedisco said. Several other states and some cities have gone to great lengths to squeeze money from inmates.
In Arizona’s Maricopa County, which includes Phoenix, Sheriff Joe Arpaio calls himself America’s toughest sheriff and makes prisoners sleep outdoors in 100-degree-plus heat. Earlier this year, he announced that inmates would be charged $1.25 per day for meals. His decision followed months of food strikes staged by convicts who complained of being fed green bologna and moldy bread. In Iowa’s Des Moines County, where officials faced a $1.7 million budget hole this year, politicians considered charging prisoners for toilet paper – at a savings of $2,300 per year. The idea was ultimately dropped, after much derision.
A New Jersey legislator introduced a bill similar to New York’s, this one based on fees charged by the Camden County Correctional Facility, which bills prisoners $5 a day for room and board and $10 per day for infirmary stays – totaling an estimated $300,000 per year.
Finally a bill I can get behind. But what if the inmate refuses to pay for his accommodations?
If the prisoner refuses to pay then time is added to his sentence. Two pieces of toilet paper not paid for = one extra day on the sentence. Therefore, when dysentery hits (due to dodgy food or unhygienic conditions), up goes the number of days left to serve.
Your people should commit their crimes in the UK.
Here, we sentenced one character to be deported, he refused to go, hence stayed in jail, he then sued the authorities and received £50,000 in compensation – he is still in jail. We have another call ed Abu Hamza OKA the ‘Hook’ convicted of inciting terrorism. His family have a 5 bedroom house and receive massive state money to maintain their lifestyle (legally by the way)
We have, here in the UK what is called an ‘enlightened society’ on such matters, residents have other names for it.
I can see a big bussiness opportunity here. Dirty cops will get a lot of funding from this.
What’s wrong with you people? You’ve all gone soft!
I can’t believe no-one mentioned shooting prisoners in the head, then sending the bill for the bullet(s) to their loved ones.
Hey, if it’s good enough for Communist China…
#23, weary,
Hey, if it’s good enough for Communist China…
That would satisfy a lot of the radical right wing nuts.
I see an opportunity here.
Basic incarceration: shitty bed, toilet and a shared, 4×6 cell – free. Naturally, would comply with international law (so republicans need not specify).
Anything better would cost the inmate or his/her family up to a maximum accommodation.
#24 Good to see you finally came to terms with the notion that lefty loons and right wing wackos are just the same. Embrace your inner wingnut.
This is just sick.
How about this: we charge people five or ten bucks a whack at the prisoners. Leather belt: $5. Stick: $10. Two-by-four: $15. Two-by-four with a nail in the end: $25. Mace: $40. Pistol: $50. Shotgun: $100. Shotgun filled with rock salt: $200. Broken beer bottle: $250. Jumper cables to the testicles: $500. Waterboarding: Market Price. Extras include: forcing prisoners’ family members to watch, double price if this includes kids under 10. Hey, I’m an amateur at this; I’m sure several of you guys could come up with even better schemes.
How’s that?
How’s this: get arrested for loitering because you lost your job, house, insurance, etc., etc., etc. You have no money so you NEVER GET OUT OF JAIL. Life sentence for the crime of poverty.
Still liking this “GET ‘EM!” attitude?
Who would Jesus imprison?
Cops now routinely ignore burglaries and muggings to concentrate on more remunerative activities such as writing traffic tickets and stopping out-of-town motorists to seize their cash as drug money. When prisoners get charged for accommodation, there will be a new class targeted for prosecution: anyone with a substantial net worth.
#17 said:
What Next?…
Hand Cuff Rental
Tazer refill Charge
Gun Cleaning Charge time + materials
$35 Minimum Fee for Ride to the Police Station
$75 Fee for Orange Jump Suit rental…
Toll booths at stop sign and intersections?…
Coin slots for Public School bathrooms?
Desk and chair rent for the class room?
this could go on forever…
…….. give me a break….
You ain’t seen nothing yet. With Obama in charge, get used to it.
To paraphrase #12
Barack Obama loves cock.
How is Madoff going to pay anyone?
He should not a a cent to his name!
And if you pay for your imprisonment, won’t that give you legal rights to demand better treatment?
Give him prison for free, confiscate all his assets like they do to drug dealers.
>no cruel and unusual punishment.. I have always wondered why no one has ever tried to sue the Government for letting the prisons become grounds for killing
I’m sure people have, and maybe even won.
However, the ‘no cruel and unusual punsihment’ refers to sentencing in court, not treatment in prison.
#28 You make an excellent point: it is a moral hazard to incentivise law enforcement to supplement the bottom-line. This is logical, right?
#31 Have you ever heard of Attica? Spend some time with Wikipedia.
#29 Jbensens2……. your sick…
Please move to the other line for your rfid chip…
oh and that $1856 + tax, thank you have a good day… oops I see you credit index is outside the green band, we need to add an additional $248 to cover the credit insurance and the additional programming for noting this on your RFID chip, please wait a few moment sir…. so lets see thats’ 2377.52 including tax. Can I just deduct that from your ARM?… Oh …cant pay?…
Please move too the other line on your left for final solution….. have a good day…
The New Vicious Cycle…
# 9 Travis, take off your rose colored glasses. The only thing prison is sure to teach is false justice, violence and how to survive. As far as conditioning prisoners for contributing to society, that is B.S. Once out of prison, regardless of good intentions, skills or merit, no one will hire them with a record. They too have to eat, and find a place to sleep. To eat and sleep, they need money, to get money they need to work. This is in large part why prison’s have such a high recidivism rate.
This “Madoff Bill” is so some politician can stand in front of a camera (like Sheriff Joe Arpaio) and look tough on crime. It give some dumbshit citizen somewhere the feeling of justice (albeit false justice).
#33 I certainly hope I don’t get sick under Obamacare.
Check out President Barack Obama’s America’s Affordable Health Choices Act (HR 3200) on involuntary electronic transfers from your personal bank account.
As explained on lines 4 through 8 of page 59 of the bill, several measures will be implemented “not later than two years after the date of implementation of the X12 Version 5010 transaction standards”.
The EFTs are described on lines 21 through 24 as follows: “(C) enable electronic funds transfers, in order to allow automated reconciliation with the related health care payment and remittance advice.”
and the killer statement:
Page 59: The federal government will have direct, real-time access to all individual bank accounts for electronic funds transfer.
#34, noname,
Just to add, Maricopa County currently has 59,000 outstanding felony warrants. Yet pink underwear and harassing ” Mexicans” is a bigger priority.
#35, benson
It is really sad. You copy something like this from another site and then claim it is true. The problem is that bullshit has been shown to be false.
You need new material. Posting bullshit doesn’t help your cause. None of those claims are in the bill.
#37 – sorry if the truth offends your sorry little ass. Get used to it buddy.
#37 – check out the “bullshit” at the bottom of page 59
http://docs.house.gov/edlabor/AAHCA-BillText-071409.pdf
Send your apology anytime.
#28 Good to know I’m not the only one seeing this possibility.
#38 Don’t be so hard on him, he’s conFused. It’s not intentional, he’s like that.