Forcing the incarcerated to pay their prison expenses doesn’t offset costs, and it hinders rehabilitation efforts. (Composite: Rhiannon Monteilus; Image source: FreePik; iStock.)
How one state’s repeal of a prison ‘pay-to-stay’ law could guide national reform
A new USC Dornsife study reveals how Illinois’ bipartisan repeal of a law charging inmates for room and board — a discredited practice still enforced in most states — could support the repeal of similar laws.
Nearly every state requires incarcerated individuals to pay for room, board and basic services under so-called “pay-to-stay” laws. In 2019, Illinois became one of the first to repeal such a law — a move that prompted Brittany Friedman, assistant professor of sociology at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, to investigate what made that repeal possible.