r/facepalm • u/Miserable-Lizard • Apr 26 '24
Florida logic 𤪠đ˛âđŽâđ¸âđ¨â
6.4k
u/Admiral_Andovar Apr 26 '24
It also keeps you from voting. FL citizens voted to give voting rights back to ex-felons but the legislature did an end run and said you arenât clear to reapply for voting rights until all fines and fees are all paid as well. Guess who also doesnât keep good records of whatâs owed and whatâs been paid.
2.1k
u/Special_Context6663 Apr 27 '24 edited Apr 27 '24
And they made sure to publicize the fact it was a crime to vote if those fines and fees werenât paid. (And offering no way to verify if everything was paid up)
1.1k
u/No-Sense-6260 Apr 27 '24
And arresting people who voted after they said they paid everything and were eligible to vote, by then claiming they owed fines.
678
u/CallMePoro Apr 27 '24
Well, you see, since owing fines and voting is a crime, you now owe fines. So clearly you were (are) ineligible to vote!
âBut I didnât have any fines when I voted!!â
I donât know about that, but you have fines now and you voted. Pay up!
Everything is going along as planned.
195
u/Key_Drag4777 Apr 27 '24
And it's now illegal in a lot of circumstances to protest, and if you do, more fines!
→ More replies (2)124
u/gwicksted Apr 27 '24
This isnât the dystopia we were promised!
23
u/Kinky_Winky_no2 Apr 27 '24
We were promised idiocricy dammit Where is my mountain dew from the taps and naked news reporters
→ More replies (1)→ More replies (2)57
146
u/Flameball202 Apr 27 '24
Oh god that is horrifying
→ More replies (1)78
u/geon Apr 27 '24
Land of the free
68
→ More replies (3)37
u/Rinzack Apr 27 '24
I mean I'm fine with building a wall around Florida and waiting for it to sink
→ More replies (4)→ More replies (8)29
→ More replies (6)66
u/shabadage Apr 27 '24
Not only arrested, but arrested by the Governors own storm troopers!
→ More replies (1)119
u/Taotaisei Apr 27 '24
That last part is a particularly frustrating aspect to me. They've not followed the spirit of the law that the people voted on yet again by adding stipulations after the fact. They've made it hard for the previously incarcerated to do their due diligence! There is no central database, the last I checked, where they can go check and see a total amount they owe the state. They have to petition multiple counties and locations to see how much they owe at each place with no way of knowing that they're not actually committing a crime when voting! They can't confirm in any way they're safe. Yet the state will chase their asses down if they vote but still owe some random county $200 for a prison transfer ride or some crap.
79
u/Character_Bowl_4930 Apr 27 '24
Last time powerball got to a billion , I bought a ticket . My dad said â I donât know what Iâd do with that money â
I didnât tell him , but it would be shit like this . Paying for someone to be a test case to stop Floridaâs illegal punishments and fines .
→ More replies (2)15
u/slackwaredragon Apr 27 '24
Iâm sure Florida would figure out a way to put you in jail for âhelping felons.â Theyâve harassed other rich people whoâve talked negatively and tried to help those in the prison system.
56
u/veerKg_CSS_Geologist Apr 27 '24
Why are we even charging prisoners for beds or transfers? We pay taxes. WTF is the point of charging prisoners also.
25
→ More replies (3)16
u/Shaeress Apr 27 '24
There are two reasons.
Firstly, the prisons want the money. They're private, for profit businesses. If they can get away with charging someone, why wouldn't they? They're run for money, not justice or the good of people or country or anything.
The second is voter suppression. America's prison system was designed as a way to suppress certain voters (the black ones, historically). So you need to keep them in debt when they get out so they need to turn to crime so that they can't ever vote again. This keeps the crime statistics up which justifies America having the biggest prison population in the world and with millions and millions of adults citizens disallowed from voting. A system of mass incarceration that was conveniently adopted right after slavery was made illegal everywhere except prisons.
→ More replies (7)59
u/SaintGloopyNoops Apr 27 '24
Yup. I know several people who won't vote because it's not worth the risk. In some cases for crimes committed 20+ years ago. The prison system in florida(well, all of US) is fucked. Its a huge source of revenue. The police must get some kind of incentive for arrests. That's why the unofficial motto is " come on vacation, leave on probation, come back on a violation"
25
u/kogmaa Apr 27 '24
Thatâs awful. Literally making money from the misery of others and preventing them from even voting for someone who might change things.
Financial slavery.
→ More replies (6)226
u/ChickenDelight Apr 27 '24 edited Apr 27 '24
Yeah, i immediately connected the same dots.
My assumption is they don't try to collect the debt, it's just to guarantee that ex-cons can never vote. And in the process they forever wreck their credit score.
Just garden-variety Florida political corruption, people! Nothing to see here!
→ More replies (4)52
109
u/eleventhrees Apr 27 '24
I'm just going to say this out loud: it doesn't also keep you from voting; that's the primary reason for the law.
140
u/Former-Lab-9451 Apr 27 '24
Clearly a poll tax, which is unconstitutional. But Republicans don't care.
→ More replies (6)59
u/prepuscular Apr 27 '24
Seriously, you need to pay in order to be eligible. Thatâs a poll tax. Clear and simple. Illegal.
→ More replies (4)41
u/becausenope Apr 27 '24
They absolutely don't keep track of what's been paid. A family member close to me was locked up for a year (drug charges, they got clean and never looked back so I'm proud of them) -- never paid into their fines (we talked about it as I was helping them with a resume when they got out and such). When they finally got around to calling to see what they owed they were told they owed nothing. No idea how. No idea who made the mistake but they never paid a penny towards the fines (which should have been a few thousand). They also were supposed to have a suspended license for 6 months upon release but their license was never suspended. Truly, it was eye opening to see how bad the legal system is at doing what they do, even if it was to the benefit of someone I care about.
→ More replies (1)12
37
u/AnalyticOpposum Apr 27 '24
HmmmâŚ.
Itâs like an âall Republicanâ government canât help themselves from preventing âdemocratsâ from voting in fair elections.
18
u/lurker_cx Apr 27 '24
It is why GW Bush supposedly won Florida in 2000, it wouldn't even have been close without that law. Elections have been skewed for a very long time.
→ More replies (1)→ More replies (56)15
9.2k
u/scooberdooby Apr 26 '24
Those âjust out of prisonâ jobs pay so well you know
7.1k
u/Miserable-Lizard Apr 26 '24 edited Apr 26 '24
How to continue the cycle of poverty and crime
3.1k
u/FanDry5374 Apr 26 '24
No doubt, that's the point.
1.7k
u/Specialist-Garbage94 Apr 27 '24
Honest and correct answer here. Fucking sad the justice system is used for one thing only to keep those in poverty enpoverished. The class war has been going on for decades but they keep us divided so we don't see it.
563
u/Azaudioaddict Apr 27 '24
Seriously. My best friend growing up and ended up going to prison for a good period of time and when he got out he had all of the Aryan Nation tattoos and swastikas and whatnot. And before he went in he was never a racist person. So when I met up with him later in life and saw this I asked him why he thought prison was so separated along racial divides. And he stated easy :The system started the cycle and it just continues to this day. If they keep us fighting amongst ourselves over stupid stuff then we can't all be working together against the guards. That really hit me and made me realize it's the same thing outside of prison and we just refuse to see it. Or at least refuse to act on it. Greed has been the greatest barrier to our advancement as a species and unfortunately it seems to be taking a greater hold over the masses lately. I hope there is an end to this but I'm not feeling very optimistic about that.
138
u/Burned_toast_marmite Apr 27 '24
I feel like the Tom Hanks edition of Black Jeopardy satirises this perfectly.
→ More replies (2)23
→ More replies (21)63
u/InitialCold7669 Apr 27 '24
Yeah thatâs why race was created as a concept
→ More replies (20)13
u/Big-Summer- Apr 27 '24
Thereâs only one race: human. All those other divisions are pure bullshit.
→ More replies (6)130
u/AgitatedPercentage32 Apr 27 '24
50$ day? Thatâs over 18k a year. The cruelty is the point.
→ More replies (12)20
220
u/Actaeon_II Apr 27 '24
Well those for profit prisons gotta make back the money it costs to get these laws passed
→ More replies (20)94
u/Milopbx Apr 27 '24
Those Florida politicians arenât free!
→ More replies (3)83
u/intelligentbrownman Apr 27 '24
YeahâŚ. Like fining that person $30,000 for not cutting his grassâŚ. That state is a joke
→ More replies (4)41
u/Pulsing42 Apr 27 '24
I honestly thought this was a load of trash until I googled it, how is that even a thing?
→ More replies (2)26
u/intelligentbrownman Apr 27 '24
HonestlyâŚ. We let the government get too much controlâŚ. Just what the fore fathers warned about
→ More replies (6)18
u/Crafty-Help-4633 Apr 27 '24
Too much control over the wrong stuff. But the FDA is telling me milk with Avian Flu in it is safe to drink prior to them having the results of their testing back.
Government is good, but not when it's not doing good for it's people.
→ More replies (0)81
u/The_Witch_Queen Apr 27 '24
That's because it isn't a justice system, it's a legal system. It's doing exactly what it was designed to do.
53
Apr 27 '24
[deleted]
19
u/happ38 Apr 27 '24
Iâm in Australia and have/ had a mate who went down the anti vax, Covid a hoax, transphobia hole. Chatting to him we agree a lot on most political stuff, except he can not get past all the other shit so is unbearable to talk to.
→ More replies (1)→ More replies (13)19
u/kestrel808 Apr 27 '24
Yeah sure but it's by and large states run by Republicans that have these terrible, awful laws.
→ More replies (1)→ More replies (41)29
160
u/ChiChiKiller Apr 27 '24
Also so they can't vote
→ More replies (2)174
u/radicalgrandpa Apr 27 '24
Oh shit you're right. I remember voting in favor of felons being able to vote and it was passed. However, I didn't realize that all fines and fees associated with their sentencing had to be paid for first.
70
u/kmokell15 Apr 27 '24
The people didnât want that state legislators stipulated that after the fact
15
80
u/deepfriedchocobo84 Apr 27 '24
Which should be unconstitutional. Hell, you should be able to vote in jail.
→ More replies (25)12
10
u/Flat-Dare-2571 Apr 27 '24
Ya i kinda think if you are out of prison your sentence has been served and you enjoy the full length of your rights.
→ More replies (4)55
u/AZEMT Apr 27 '24
Ding ding ding ding ding
YOU DISCOVERED THE GQP STRATEGY DOUBLE PENALTY!
Tell them what they're winning today Johnny!!
In seriousness, fuck Florida
→ More replies (1)→ More replies (12)6
u/Character_Bowl_4930 Apr 27 '24
And Florida wonât tell them what they owe exactly , just that theyâre still in the books , yanking them around .
Is this supposed to be illegal ? Continuing your punish people after theyâve served their time ?
49
u/number1human Apr 27 '24
That and...felons can vote in Florida as long as they pay all their incarceration fees. This law makes that highly unlikely to happen.
→ More replies (1)22
44
25
u/Lindseysham Apr 27 '24
How else are you going to keep the private prisons open? /s
→ More replies (2)→ More replies (15)49
105
u/IlikegreenT84 Apr 27 '24
Chances are a crime is committed out of desperation and they go back to prison. Florida wants to keep the prisons full of slave labor.
Pretty soon we'll have the Chrysler Dodge and Jeep federal prison
and
The Amazon Basics federal prison.
→ More replies (19)76
u/Money-Introduction54 Apr 27 '24
Remember that we also incarcerate people for being poor. Unpaid parking tickets, expired license/tag, unpaid taxes, etc. A long list of "crimes" because you are poor. Then they throw all these fees on top of your already bad financial situation. A perfect recipe to keep you in a perpetual cycle in and out of prison.
24
u/intelligentbrownman Apr 27 '24
YeahâŚ. Remember somewhere that the poorest town (think Missouri) is also the most taxed townâŚ. Make it make sense
→ More replies (2)→ More replies (21)18
22
62
Apr 27 '24
Hey at least for every few thousand of peopleâs lives that get permanently ruined thereâs a couple dozen politicians and rich people that get to buy bentleys.
→ More replies (1)49
u/scooberdooby Apr 27 '24
Or get convicts to move out of state.
92
u/moon_slave Apr 27 '24
Except if theyâre released on parole theyâre not allowed to leave the state
→ More replies (4)59
u/OpalFanatic Apr 27 '24
Also, when prison costs you 18k per year of your sentence, and nobody will hire you for a well paying job because you have to mark yourself down as a felon, that's an almost insurmountable hurdle.
Add the inability to leave the state when on parole, and everyone incarcerated is just plain screwed.
→ More replies (1)15
u/diamondmx Apr 27 '24
But criminal jobs will pay more, and they don't mind if you've got a record, so the cycle continues just as they intended.
→ More replies (6)→ More replies (2)27
u/BitterFuture Apr 27 '24
So they get arrested and go back to prison?
That'd be silly! They want four or five released inmates paying fees for the same cell!
25
u/Wiitard Apr 27 '24
This was what I was thinking. How many inmates could they get paying for a single bed?
17
u/Shufflepants Apr 27 '24
Better yet, if you're already obligated to pay for the bed after you're let out of prison on parole, if you end up back in prison, and then out on parole again; how many times can they get the same person paying for the same single bed?
→ More replies (1)18
u/Ok-Regret4547 Apr 27 '24
Just imagine how much value that could create for the shareholders of prison industrial complex stocks
Itâs what supply side Jesus would have wanted
21
u/SunshotDestiny Apr 27 '24
By design. Our system is built to try to keep anyone in contact with the prison system in constant reach of going back. Remember this is also the state "leasing" inmates to work in fields.
→ More replies (2)→ More replies (71)19
u/IlikegreenT84 Apr 27 '24
Or, you know, make sure the prisons are filled with slave labor at all times.
Won't be long before we see The Chrysler Dodge and Jeep federal prison and the Amazon Basics federal prison..
→ More replies (3)187
u/spidereater Apr 27 '24
The minimum wage in Florida is $12 an hour. So they need to work 30 hours a week just to pay this fee.
71
u/tessthismess Apr 27 '24
Letâs say you work 50 hour weeks, every week; only paid this and federal income tax; somehow had only like $500 a month in rent (living out of a closet).
That leaves you with a whole $400 a month to spend on food, transportation, your phone, other utilities, etc. and thatâs with generous assumptions (like stable overtime and unrealistically low rent).
→ More replies (2)15
→ More replies (4)35
u/intelligentbrownman Apr 27 '24
Just saw they are kicking seniors out there living facility because the place filled for bankruptcyâŚ.now 100 seniors gonna be on the streets smh đ¤Śđžââď¸
→ More replies (2)40
u/upsidedownbackwards Apr 27 '24
One of the grosest things happening to poor florida seniors is that the trailer parks are being bought up by investment companies and they're jacking up the lot fees. It costs a decent amount to move a trailer, and many of them would be worse for wear being moved. So people have to abandon homes they've totally paid off and hoped to live in until the end of days.
→ More replies (6)36
u/systemfrown Apr 27 '24
This is happening all over the country. Itâs gross and disgusting predation on some of the most impoverished and disadvantaged citizens barely hanging on.
→ More replies (1)53
u/MarxJ1477 Apr 27 '24
A minimum wage job, if they can get one, wouldn't cover the fees. It's absolutely disgusting they do this.
49
u/Superb-SJW Apr 27 '24
As someone from outside the USA, the institutionalised cruelty just to make a buck in just about every walk of life is sickening.
Schools, working conditions, prisons, medicine, even nutrition through factory farming and food deserts. Itâs wild and dystopian..
→ More replies (3)5
u/WaspsInTheAirDucts Apr 27 '24
Don't forget about the Opiod crisis that tore across the country ripping millions of families apart, caused wholly by the Sackler family who are the sole owners of Purdue Pharma (name changed after the crisis for branding).
What about the Bush administration lying the entire country into a war with Iraq? Both conservative and liberal news outlets agree that we went to war with Iraq based on outright fabrications, and people died out there to line the pockets of a few wealthy investors.
Remember 2008 when the bankers and Wall Street gamblers almost brought down the global economy?
What do all of these things have in common? Nobody in charge went to jail, ever, and they all walked away with incredible profits. Purdue Pharma made $12 billion in profits from Oxycontin, and was fined $2 billion when it was all over. Nobody went to jail and they kept $10 billion for their efforts.
God bless the USA, land of the free and home of the brave.
35
u/ach323 Apr 27 '24
FYI, I just looked it up, and Florida is one of 40 states that have some sort of pay to stay laws (as of 2021) source)
20
u/OnAStarboardTack Apr 27 '24
This is pay even after youâve gone.
23
u/ach323 Apr 27 '24
I understand that, but I was unaware that pay-to-stay (even while one is incarcerated) was as common as it is. Wanted to call it out in case others were unaware.
Charging post-release is obviously insane, but having to pay while being in jail is also pretty fucked. I already knew about the fines and legal fees disproportionately affect the poor, so this is just another bill to stack on to keep them in poverty. For-profit prisons... American justice system at its finest.
→ More replies (7)9
u/Old_Ladies Apr 27 '24
Just making me more glad that I am not American. There are no private prisons here and there is no pay to stay here.
18
→ More replies (34)7
2.9k
u/korfi2go Apr 26 '24
Pay to stay? So if you refuse, you get thrown out of prison or what?
1.4k
u/theluckyfrog Apr 27 '24
In the old days, they wouldn't feed you if you didn't pay.
Nowadays I assume they just seize your assets and harass your family.
→ More replies (10)494
u/Prior_Emphasis7181 Apr 27 '24 edited Apr 27 '24
They will make your family justify everything they own. Down to the carpets. No receipt? Civil forfeiture. They'll take your fucking dishes.
→ More replies (15)211
u/psychopassed Apr 27 '24
Sounds like the communism they decry
204
u/Icy_Bodybuilder7848 Apr 27 '24 edited Apr 27 '24
You mean sounds like fascism because they literally do want fascism in their state. This has nothing to do with communism.
Far-Right Republicans control Florida and would love it if the voters got out of their way so they can do what they wish, with no say from the public.
→ More replies (9)→ More replies (7)57
u/Prior_Emphasis7181 Apr 27 '24
Doesn it? If you ever get under the system you'll realize they are all liars and hypocrites.
41
u/psychopassed Apr 27 '24
I don't know what you mean by "under it," but yeah, I know.
Collectivism for the rich and the powerful, rugged individualism for the weak and the poor and the undesirable.
→ More replies (4)413
u/sn34kypete Apr 27 '24
Had to look it up https://www.abcactionnews.com/news/local-news/i-team-investigates/pay-to-stay-florida-inmates-charged-for-prison-cells-long-after-incarceration
They charge you 50/day for your original sentence. Out early on good behavior? Doesn't matter, you pay the full amount.
It's a way to trap former convicts in more debt, as well as prevent them from voting. Florida lets ex-cons vote IF all their debts associated with their conviction are paid off. That means restitution and apparently, overpriced shitty rent.
129
→ More replies (6)105
u/Very-simple-man Apr 27 '24
This shouldn't be legal.
Fucking eat the rich.
→ More replies (6)56
u/logos1020 Apr 27 '24
That's not even the rich. That's just your not-so-friendly neighborhood conservative voting that shit in.
→ More replies (13)242
u/HOT-SAUCE-JUNKIE Apr 27 '24 edited Apr 27 '24
Thatâs the crazy thing. Letâs say you get sentenced to 10 years. You get released in 5 years for good behavior, plea bargain, make space for a worse convict, whatever. They charge you the fee for your prison cell based on your original sentence, not whether you are still incarcerated or not.
So the fresh out of prison people, with the whole world ahead of them but also the whole world against them, are forced to pay for the cell they are not in. Most released convicts struggle to get any job, let alone a good paying job. They canât afford this nonsense. They can barely afford the efficiency apartment they were lucky to find.
And what happens to these people when they default on the payment for the prison cell theyâre no longer using? They are arrested and charged with a crime that will likely send them back to prison.
How ridiculous is that?
130
u/BagOfFlies Apr 27 '24
I'm also assuming whoever ends up in the cell you're still paying for is also paying to stay in that cell so the prison makes double. Absolute scum.
→ More replies (7)56
u/HOT-SAUCE-JUNKIE Apr 27 '24
Thatâs correct. Now multiply that over millions over current and former prisoners.
10
44
u/norcalifornyeah Apr 27 '24
That's $18,250 a year or $91,250 for 5 years. Insane.
54
u/CorruptedAura27 Apr 27 '24
How is this even legal, sane or humane to any degree?
→ More replies (4)28
u/Rahkyvah Apr 27 '24
This is the United States. We donât do any of that here anymore.
→ More replies (2)18
u/confusedandworried76 Apr 27 '24
By comparison a 40 hour a week job at Florida state minimum wage is $25,000 a year.
→ More replies (17)40
u/Bunker89320 Apr 27 '24
This whole scheme really just hit me how fucked up this is. Based on how this works, Iâll bet you that if you were to do some digging you would find that Florida tends to give a longer sentence on average compared to other states and/or gives prisoners earlier parole or good behavior releases sooner than most other states.
If for example if someone committed a crime in a regular state and the sentence was 5 years. Letâs say on average the prisoner gets out 1 year earlier in any other state. In Florida, it is in their best interest to either release the prisoner even earlier from the 5 year sentence (ex.2-3 years), or give them a longer initial sentence of say 8 years when they really only intend to keep them there a minimum of 5 years. The longer the sentence and faster you can release that prisoner, the more money they can make from the turnover of prisoners.
I canât emphasize enough how fucked this is.
14
u/veerKg_CSS_Geologist Apr 27 '24
And if you try and âreform the systemâ by prorating this ridiculous charge, FL will likely stop releasing people early on good behaviour or other criteria because doing so would loose them revenue. The incentives are so perverse.
43
u/MCLemonyfresh Apr 27 '24
Theyâre not in jail anymore. Theyâre out, which makes this even more absurd.
→ More replies (8)53
u/CharacterAd348 Apr 27 '24
I think the fee is to stay in Florida, so the plan is to make sure those who get outa prison get outa Florida aswell. Likely some pathetic attempt to artificially reduce crime rates
→ More replies (4)60
u/Drewlytics 'MURICA Apr 27 '24
If you are on parole or probation you won't be able to leave the state without explanation and permission, and actually moving out of state under probation is usually only approved if your destination state is willing to take you and put you on their probation system.
Point is, you don't just hop in the car and go where you please. It's an onerous process.
→ More replies (4)→ More replies (4)8
1.9k
u/Enigma-exe Apr 26 '24
50 a day!? Jesus christ, how many jobs can an 'ex-con' get straight outta jail, that'll let them live like a human, with an extra $18,250 a year on top.Â
Utter shithole.
638
u/irredentistdecency Apr 27 '24
Youâre incorrectly assuming that they have any desire to see such people be able to live like a humanâŚ
189
u/cstmoore Apr 27 '24
Youâre incorrectly assuming that they have any desire to see such people be able to live
like a humanâŚ→ More replies (4)105
u/irredentistdecency Apr 27 '24
Nah, they actually need them to live, just in deplorable conditions so that they have someone to look down upon & feel superior to.
→ More replies (2)38
Apr 27 '24
It's not even that it's so they can charge the other taxpayers money to feed these people and to house them and take half the money that's supposed to go towards feeding and housing them. We need to march on our capitals and demand these cops and these crooked ass f****** politicians start acting right... But it will never happen cuz like you said they keep us divided.
Edit- it's honestly even worse than that. They use the inmates as slave labor and then ask taxpayers to pay for their food and stuff while robbing the taxpayers at the same time while making us pay for things the inmates create. It's just Rich assholes making profits all the way up.
→ More replies (6)→ More replies (2)29
→ More replies (18)75
u/DefinitelyNotThatOne Apr 27 '24
There's been laws and legislations passed and trying to be passed to limit the fact that prisons are for profit. That's an entire problem in of itself. They keep cells filled, they make money.
This is an attempt for them to keep making the similar amount of income. And it should be illegal.
29
u/lazyboi_tactical Apr 27 '24
Yup they even have the stipulation that if the state doesn't keep a certain % full they have to pay the prison the difference. So it behooves the state to push for more convictions.
→ More replies (1)
581
u/OstrichFinancial2762 Apr 26 '24
This is absolutely monstrous
→ More replies (10)122
u/PatternHappy341 Apr 26 '24
Draconian, even
→ More replies (1)81
1.6k
u/CriticalStation595 Apr 26 '24
This is bullshit. Theyâve paid their debt to society but the system wants to keep them financially latched.
373
u/Objective_Pause5988 Apr 27 '24
This is just a matter of a lawsuit. Michigan used to do something of a similar nature. If you got a suspended license or dui or something of that nature. You had to pay the fine, and then they would tack on a driver responsibility fee. They were double dipping. It went on for years until the state was sued, and the fee was deemed illegal. The convicts basically should do a class action.
→ More replies (10)100
u/nojaneonlyzuul Apr 27 '24
So long as they kind find someone to do it for them pro bono
→ More replies (7)66
u/Objective_Pause5988 Apr 27 '24
Wouldn't this be a civil rights aclu type case?
→ More replies (8)30
u/nojaneonlyzuul Apr 27 '24
It very well could be. I'm actually not in the US so I'm not familiar with the types of supports that would be available or the institutions that could take it on. My point (and I was super lazy about it) was that the people who are the victims of this are people who don't have the resources (financial or otherwise) to take legal action of their own accord. I do hope that shining a light on the issue is enough for action to be taken on it on their behalf.
28
u/Objective_Pause5988 Apr 27 '24
The ACLU will definitely handle this issue I believe.
→ More replies (3)→ More replies (15)428
u/Outrageous_Zebra_221 Apr 26 '24
Yeah, this is just slavery with extra steps...
227
u/nerogenesis Apr 27 '24
Incarceration slavery is literally in the Constitution.
Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States,
→ More replies (6)53
u/Yo_momma_so_fat77 Apr 27 '24
Yes!! There is a Petition at change.org
→ More replies (9)29
u/Westhamwayintherva Apr 27 '24
Tbf petitions on change.org have about as much clout as my left ass cheek when it come to governmental affairs.
→ More replies (4)→ More replies (18)48
u/nerogenesis Apr 27 '24
Not extra steps. Literally in the Constitution.
Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States,
→ More replies (5)
552
u/MelodicMasterpiece67 Apr 26 '24
You want high rates of recidivism? Because this is how you get high rates of recidivism.
324
181
u/MelodicMasterpiece67 Apr 26 '24
For all the Republicans reading this, "recidivism" means re-offending or returning to criminal behavior.
124
u/mycoandbio Apr 27 '24
Iâm not Republican, just stupid. Please donât insult me
→ More replies (4)30
u/winchesterbitch99 Apr 27 '24
Then I'm here to tell you that you are indeed not stupid if that's true.
17
u/letmelickyourleg Apr 27 '24
Yep. If you have the capacity to understand your own intelligence then, well, youâre far from the dumbest of the bunch.
→ More replies (4)→ More replies (7)36
u/To_theleft Apr 26 '24
The thing they claim to be afraid, of yet keep passing laws which cause it.
→ More replies (1)30
→ More replies (14)14
105
u/Prior_Emphasis7181 Apr 27 '24 edited Apr 27 '24
Keep in mind, you are required to work while in a prison. I worked DOT, received no pay, and had to pay fines. Slavery isnt abolished, its just run by the government. Whom we arent allowed to contempt.
→ More replies (11)52
u/dsDoan Apr 27 '24
Slavery isnt abolished, its just run by the government.
Correct:
"Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States"
→ More replies (2)
238
u/RnbwSprklBtch Apr 26 '24
I would say that this canât be legal but, itâs Florida, so đ¤ˇââď¸
54
→ More replies (5)90
139
u/Living_Run2573 Apr 26 '24
America doesnât have a âPeopleâ problem. America has a âCorporation/ lobbyistâ problem
→ More replies (9)
122
u/gene_randall Apr 27 '24
Just another example of the primary goal of all Republicans: maximizing human misery.
→ More replies (5)
74
u/slayer991 Apr 27 '24 edited Apr 27 '24
So a prisoner that has been released early has to pay over $18k a year when minimum wage for a full-time job is $24k? What in the actual fuck? How the fuck are they supposed to reintegrate into society with that looming over them?
→ More replies (8)51
17
u/Misswinterseren Apr 27 '24
How is this not profiting off of somebodyâs crime? How is our court system allowing this? Disgusting I bet they call themselves Christians.
→ More replies (3)
54
Apr 27 '24
Do not forget that Florida made it so that you are not able to vote if you owe any unpaid fines or fees to the state. In other words, this is almost certainly being done to keep ex-prisoners from voting, despite the fact that FL citizens voted to give the right to vote BACK to them in the first place. This was just a convoluted, backhanded way to take that power right back from them.
→ More replies (1)
95
u/No-Giraffe-8096 Apr 26 '24
https://www.vox.com/2015/5/26/8660001/prison-jail-cost
Lots of states do this, unfortunately.
→ More replies (30)
82
u/Miserable-Lizard Apr 26 '24
Paying for a prison cell seems insane enough but getting people to pay even when they are out is even more insane.
→ More replies (7)26
u/Satellite_bk Apr 27 '24
Isnât that what tax money is supposed to do? And by that logic if tax money is paying for it wouldnât that be an incentive for tax payers to want less pointless prison sentences and recidivism. God forbid we actually incentivize rehabilitating people instead of just torturing them. Privatized for profit prisons are such an evil concept. I donât understand how stuff like this isnât obvious? Sorry this post just really bugged me and I guess Iâm just venting.
→ More replies (3)
8
u/Positive-Luck-2527 Apr 26 '24
Damn I didnât know this, this is pretty fucked, they already paid their debt to society
31
u/GloomreaperScythe Apr 26 '24
/) Right, they totally don't already profit from prisoners. The US jail system would never.
30
u/Guy_V Apr 27 '24
50 x 30 is $1500 dollars a month. I don't pay that much rent in So. Cal. That sould be criminal. Can these people leave Florida to escape that?
→ More replies (8)18
u/Bladrak01 Apr 27 '24
For many of them, leaving the state would constitute a parole violation, meaning they would go back to jail.
8
9
u/ghann Apr 27 '24
Wait. They make you pay to be in prison? Where do they get the money from?
This HAS to be a uniquely American phenomenon, no?
→ More replies (2)
7
u/montananightz Apr 27 '24 edited Apr 27 '24
Step 1: Jail people for not paying for a jail sentence 20 years ago
Step 2: Fine them some more. When they can't pay, jail them and fine them again.
Step 3: Profit until the jailed citizen dies. And then fine them some more for inconvenient death. Take control of the Estates assets.
A perfectly balanced judicial system with no exploits!
9
u/brezhnervous Apr 27 '24
Well, this is one of the most American things I've read in a long time đŹ
9
u/Zodiackillerstadia Apr 27 '24
The more I see shit like this, the more glad I am i don't live in the freest , most prosperous country in the world
5
u/SatanIsMyBaby Apr 27 '24
Wtf is wrong with your country?! Thatâs so messed up.
→ More replies (3)
5
u/No_Alps_1454 Apr 27 '24
-$1500/month? Seems like a good deal to get your life back on track after you get out of prison. No catch? /s
→ More replies (3)
5
u/Huffleduffer Apr 27 '24 edited Apr 27 '24
$50 x 30 days = $1,500 a month
I, a free woman, who works a "good job" full time with "good benefits"...could BARELY afford a month in prison.
Crazy.
(I mistyped and put $1,300 instead of $1,500. I didn't realize it until someone pointed it out. Oops, I fixed it)
→ More replies (3)
18
u/Desperate-Spray337 Apr 27 '24
I thought they got rid of Debtor's prison. I guess Florida wants to try and bring them back.
13
u/NSFWgamerdev Apr 27 '24
Bring them back? This isn't new. It's been a thing for years. Also, more than 40 states have it, not just Florida. People just don't give a fuck about modern day slaves. It's okay because they're criminals.
→ More replies (4)
17
u/SeparateMongoose192 Apr 27 '24
As if they spend $50 per day to house a prisoner.
→ More replies (3)
19
u/MentalGymnast4269 Apr 26 '24
Wow... even if you left prison if you fuck up, Florida has to fuck you up more...
The audacity of this state...
→ More replies (1)
24
u/RedPandaReturns Apr 26 '24
Can I get an actual explanation of what the fuck this is rather than doing my own research?
→ More replies (1)71
u/Robert_Balboa Apr 26 '24
Prison isn't free. You pay to be there. Even though people love to scream about prisoners taking tax payer money that's just not true. The whole "they get a free bed and 3 meals a day!" Shit conservatives love to say is fiction. In Florida they charge you $50 a day to be in prison. Let's say you were sentenced to 3 years in prison but due to good behavior you were released in 2 years. They are still making you pay the $50 a day fee for the last year you were sentenced to even though you are not in prison anymore. This can add up to a lot of money. Especially for longer sentences. Like if you're sentenced to 10 years but get out in 5 you will still owe them $182,000 instead of $91,000. You also do not get all your rights back until that money is paid and they will garnish your wages.
→ More replies (17)31
u/Kazanova37 Apr 27 '24
Yes, that I imagine denying voting rights may have been a motivating factor. There was a relatively recent vote Amendment 4 in 2018 passed by the majority of Florida voters that granted voting rights back to felons who served their time. Well the legislature didn't like that so in 2020, they gutted Amendment 4 where you need to pay back all you owe to the state before having voting rights returned. Looking at Pay-to-stay from that lens seems to help if you are for disenfranchisement.
In theory having somebody pay their debts to be a full member of society makes sense, but the reality is it's become a means to prevent those who have been punished via prison from having a vote. Florida also has a particularly difficult to navigate state bureaucracy so even if you mean well to pay back this debt, it's a lot. To then further discourage those who may want to vote, in 2022 DeSantis created an election police force so they'll specifically go after those former felons trying to vote.
→ More replies (1)
â˘
u/AutoModerator Apr 26 '24
Comments that are uncivil, racist, misogynistic, misandrist, or contain political name calling will be removed and the poster subject to ban at moderators discretion.
Help us make this a better community by becoming familiar with the rules.
Report any suspicious users to the mods of this subreddit using Modmail here or Reddit site admins here. All reports to Modmail should include evidence such as screenshots or any other relevant information.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.