HB36

HB36

Sponsors: Korey Kainec, Patrick Rode, William Burdick

Issue Category and Bill Title: Criminal Justice--Paying for our Prisoners

Purpose: The purpose of this bill is to reduce or completely erase the cost of keeping a person in jail. Prisoners will grow their own food and work in manufacturing to pay off the costs of the cost of their prison sentence. Any money left over will be evenly deposited into all prisoners bank accounts, that choose to work, and when they get out of prison they will get the money to start off and hopefully be less likely to return to a life of crime.

Eligibility: Our bill will effect prisoners because they will be working off the cost of them staying in prison and will receive any extra money generated from them working in prison and will also effect all taxpayers in america because it will cut prisons out of the american budget and taxes will decrease.

Terms and Benefits: When a person is sent to prison they will be given the choice to work to pay off their sentence (this does not apply to juvenile detention centers). If they choose to work they will either be put on a farm job to produce food for the prison (if available) or a manufacturing job. For the manufacturing job we will strike deals with different company's and if they agree to be a part of the program they will pay each prisoner minim wage but the pay will go directly to paying off the cost of them staying in prison. Any extra money generated that is not needed for the cost of the prison will be deposited evenly into bank accounts for the prisoners and when they are released from prison they will get the money to start and be less likely to return to a life of crime. When prisoners choose to work they will also be given better treatment and more privilege and freedoms in prison.

Fiscal Impact:

Equipment: (for one state prison) $3,636,366 Seeds: (Based on average convicts per state) $67,394, cost of tomato seeds for one state prison. $106,183, cost of hybrid corn seeds for one state prison. $67,394, cost of cucumber seeds for one state prison. Greenhouse windows Healthcare: $12,442 for one prisoner Manufacturing facility

Sources:

__Incarceration in the United States.__ 12 May 2011. 20 May 2011 . __Vegetable Seeds.__ 20 May 2011 . Wagner, Peter. "The Prison Index: Taking the Pulse of the Crime Control Industry." Western Prison Project and Prison Policy Initiative, 2003.