Should a Prisoner Have to Pay for His Room and Board?
The State of Illinois now says that a Hawkins owes over $455 grand for his accommodations. Obviously they will never get that amount of money, as you can't get blood out of a turnip. But they think they can get to keep the $11 grand that he earned.
Whether the state has the right to keep the money is an issue that the Illinois Supreme Court will deal with today. The attorneys who are representing Hawkins for free, say this case defies logic. "I think this is an arbitrary and wrong-headed application of the law where bureaucratic thinking gets in the way of common sense," said Paul Glad of SNR Denton, formerly Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal, which has represented Hawkins since 2005.
The idea of a 'work program' is to give inmates a few bucks that they can call their own when they are released from prison. Hawkins has been working in the wood shop building desks and chairs and earning $2 a day.
Should a prisoner have to pay for his room and board out of money he earned while in prison or not? Just in case you are wondering why he is in prison in the first place, it's for a murder conviction. He killed one man and attempted to kill two police officers in 1980. He received 60 years for that and is up for parole in 2028, according to the Chicago Tribune.
In Illinois a prisoner can be charged for his 'room and board' if they have the means to pay and they have assets of over $10,000. Hawkins saved his money; he didn't use it to buy books and other odds and ends at the prison commissary. He saved his money, and now may wind up giving it all back. The money may seem like a mere drop in the bucket, but this man did earn it. He probably had to work very hard for that small sum of money. If he had worked harder at being a good person he wouldn't have killed another human being, and this would be a moot point.
We have to let the court decide this, but what are your feelings? Should a prisoner have to pay for his room and board?
Source:
Chicagotribune.com
Published by Abby Greenhill
Abby is a retired Administrative Assistant. She is a pet lover who has many years experience as a dog owner. She loves to take road trips anywhere up and down the East Coast and tries to stay current on ne... View profile
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33 Comments
Post a CommentI think it is noteworthy that he worked and earned money and he should have been informed about the prison policy. Perhaps he should have stopped saving at $9,999.99 or they could keep anything over and above $10 grand. I do feel that at the local jails, they should have the prisoners spend more time helping to keep the cities clean as part of their discipline.
They should keep the money to start a new life out of prison...it's good for them, and it's good for the public welfare.
My immediate reaction was, "Hell Yes, make 'em pay," but then I read Thomas' comment and realized that the men are actually working off their debt. I do think it's ridiculous to think a prisoner could actually ever pay back the cost of incarcerating him. They should be put to work while in jail doing something that defrays the cost of keeping them. Whatever happened to making license plates? :)
Love this article. I agree with Maria Roth -- the money he has already earned shouldn't necessarily be taken away, but if they wish to garnish future wages, it's definitely a better way of paying for the costs of prison than using taxpayer's dollars. Yes, prionsers earn significantly less than minimum wage, but they forfeit their rights when they commit a crime, especially a violent one.
I think he should get to keep the money he's saved. If the prison wants to start a new policy, then okay, but the prisoners need to know what the expectations are.
If it means I don't have to buy for their room and board, I think it's a good idea.
What an interesting issue. I would think yes at first, too, but I think a percentage of earnings would be fairer.
This has sparked some excellent debate! Of course my knee-jerk reaction to the title is "not yes but HELL YES!", but Thomas made a good point. I'm ultimately with CJ, I think.
well at 1st i might think yes ,,but if i really think about it no ...seems it would in a majority of cases cause more crime and jailtime esp if not paying it results in more time ...time to build poorhouses of ole type then
I was actually going to make the same point as Thomas did. He is already paying for room and board by working, basically, for free. Just think of all the money he WOULD have made if he had been paid minimum wage - a whole lot more than $2 a day!