Do the crime and pay for the time is Illinois policy
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The state of Illinois is stepping up efforts to recoup the cost of incarceration from inmates.
The state has filed 11 lawsuits in the first 10 months of this year seeking to recover the money, up from two suits filed both in 2012 and 2013, the Chicago Tribune reports.
Some of the lawsuits target those convicted of crimes such as murder and rape, but some target less serious offenders and some seek relatively small amounts of money. Johnny Melton is in the latter category.
Melton, a drug offender, received $31,690 in a settlement of a wrongful death lawsuit, but Illinois was able to recover $20,000 while he was still in prison. Melton had to go to a homeless shelter when he was released earlier this year, though he was later able to live with a cousin. He applied for and received food stamps.
Melton died in June and “he didn’t have a dime,” one of his sisters told the Tribune.
Illinois is one of at least 43 states that allow collection of room and board from prisoners, according to figures from the Brennan Center for Justice. Critics say collecting money from offenders makes it harder for those on parole to reintegrate into society. Without a financial safety net, a prisoner may be tempted to return to crime, they point out.
Lauren-Brooke Eisen, a senior counsel with the Brennan Center, questions the fairness of the collection lawsuits. “The problem with all of this is that we’re supporting the justice system by charging the poorest members of our society. That’s just not a cost-efficient way—and a lot of people would argue it’s not a moral way—to operate a system,” Eisen told the Tribune.
“How much is it costing to do this? There are clerks and lawyers and judges involved in all this. It doesn’t seem cost-efficient.”
