The House-Senate Ways and Means Conference Committee is considering two different budget proposals that would charge prisoners for certain costs while they are incarcerated (for example, daily custodial care fees, medical sick call visit fees, dental sick call visit fees, pharmacy prescription fees) .  The House proposal (House Budget Amendment 26) applies to County Houses of Correction which primarily includes those prisoners serving sentences up to 2 and a half years.  The Senate proposal (Senate Budget Amendment 95) applies to county facilities as well as state prisons.

Partakers strongly opposes both amendments.  Each was passed without information showing that they would cause more good than harm.  In fact, the Massachusetts Department of Correction opposes the proposal.  Specific reasons why those of us who are opposed are calling for these measures to be defeated:

– Prisoners are already required to pay many fees – victim witness assessments and court costs, medical care, haircuts, DNA testing, drug testing, and room and board fees for prisoners in work release programs.  Even now, they often do not have the funds in their prison accounts to pay these fees.  Therefore, the current proposals are unlikely to raise money.

– Most prisoners are poor.  And most are not able to earn significant wages while in prison, so they rely on their families to put money in their prison accounts.  Families will now be forced to cover even more expenses. In practice, inmate fee policies are a tax on low-income families.

– With inmate fee policies, prisoners’ families stop depositing money in the inmates’ accounts because the money is going directly to the jail/prison, not the inmate.  As a result, the state’s costs INCREASE as the state is forced to provide the soap, toothpaste, etc. that the prisoner previously bought from the prison canteen.

– The administrative costs to collect such fees outweighs the revenues collected.  The Federal Bureau of Prisons has abandoned its inmate fees practice for this very reason.

– Prisoners are less likely to seek medical treatment if they will be billed for it.  This is a dangerous approach to healthcare, especially in crowded settings where contagious diseases can quickly spread.

– Prisoners already have a tough time when they leave jail/prison, in terms of getting a job and finding housing.  If they leave prison thousands of dollars in debt, successful reentry will become even more difficult.

There is a small window of opportunity to take action against these amendments.  The Conference Committee is working THIS WEEK to make its final recommendations to the House and Senate, where they will be voted on with no debate as part of the overall budget.  We are asking that you please take a moment between now and Friday to call and/or email the following Chairs of the House and Senate Ways and Means Committees and ask that they please say NO to the fee policies identified in House Budget Amendment 26 and Senate Budget Amendment 95:

In the subject line: Please say “NO” to House Budget Amendment 26 and Senate Budget Amendment 95

Text: I am aware that the Conference Committee is currently reviewing the above stated amendments to the budget.  I ask that you please not support these amendments; they are counterproductive to both inmates and the system.  As someone who is concerned about inmates’ rights, I seriously believe that imposing these fees would have a negative impact on inmates while they are inside as well as in their efforts to successfully reenter their communities (assuming that many will have a debt to pay should these fees be imposed). I sincerely appreciate your consideration.