To: The Florida State House, The Florida State Senate, and Governor Ron DeSantis

End Prison Profits on Inmate Families

End the practice of "taxing" the poor and minority families of prisoners.

Terminate private for-profit prisons. When the state deprives someone of their liberty it is the state's responsibility to care for them, not to put inmates into a for-profit system.

Terminate any system to collect fees from depositing funds from families to prisoner's accounts. 100% of the money sent by a family must be deposited for their loved ones. Those families did not intend to grant any gift to the corrections department. It is nothing less than extortion to force a poor family to pay a fee to send money to a loved one in prison or jail.

End profits on prison telephone calls to home. Communication with family is a necessary component of rehabilitation that should be the primary goal of the justice system, and not a profit center that limits rehabilitation based on a free world families financial position.

Prohibit any jurisdiction in the State of Florida from charging a prisoner for room and board. You lock someone up, taking care of them is a public responsibility.

Establish commissary prices not to exceed a 1.5% profit over actual wholesale cost of goods sold to prisoners.

Why is this important?

It is a shame that our society and the state of Florida would stoop so low to seek means to collect profits from the poorest members of our societies when their loved ones are incarcerated. The only purpose for prisons is housing and rehabilitation of those our courts have sent to jail. Earning a profit from those least able to pay who have committed no crime other than to have loved one in prison is reprehensible. It is a practice that must stop. Prison is not for profit.
Florida CURE www.flcure.org