cross-posted from: https://sh.itjust.works/post/18677335
TIL 40 states in the US charge you $20-$80 a day for being incarcerated in prison.
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
The Thirteenth amendment only outlawed certain forms of slavery.
For clarity, slavery in all forms should be abolished, including forced debt slavery. Slavery as a practice still undergirds the US carceral system and is a main reason the US has such a large enslaved population today (inmates) and terrifying recidivism rates.
Primarily prison should be about rehabilitation and reform, not retribution.