Connecticut HB 5390: An Act Repealing Statutory Provisions That Impose Liability on an Individual for Repayment of Costs Incurred When the Individual Was Incarcerated

We are a team of three researchers leading the first empirical study comparing the imposition, recoupment, and consequences of “pay-to-stay” fees across states. Pay-to-stay refers to the practice of cities, counties, and states charging incarcerated individuals for the cost of their incarceration, with charges being assessed on a per-diem basis for room and board and specific costs for any services such as telephone calls, commissary, medical care, and education classes. Pay-to-stay is an extension of the monetary sanctions system of fines, fees and costs that shifts the fiscal burden of incarceration and criminal justice processing to those that traverse these systems. All fifty states have jurisdictions that charge jail and/or prison pay-to-stay fees, making pay-to-stay a common policy in the United States.