Commissary Tax Increase Opposed
The following is an editorial from the Detroit Free Press:
The Michigan Legislature has tacked a one-year 10% surcharge on most items sold to inmates in state prison stores. The change — wisely opposed by the Department of Corrections — will discourage prison store purchases, force the state to pay for more inmate food and supplies, and create a dangerous division of haves and have-nots among Michigan’s 50,000 inmates.
The policy, which took effect Oct. 1, ought to be repealed, or at least revised to exempt food purchases. It not only poses security risks but also will increase costs for the Department of Corrections.
Inmates earn about $1 a day working institutional jobs. The 10% surcharge, which will help fund a state trooper school, will make even more inmates indigent, forcing the state to supply more necessities at no charge to prisoners. Inmates in debt will face intimidation and violence if they cannot pay up. The surcharge had sparked rumors of inmate protests earlier this year. The surcharge is estimated to raise $1.8 million in a year, but that estimate includes tobacco sales. State prisons will go tobacco-free in February. MDOC spokesman Russ Marlan said the department opposed the surcharge. “We’re not opposed to funding a trooper school, but there are safety and security issues when you do things like this,” he said.
At prison stores, inmates can buy, among other things, envelopes and stamps; hygiene supplies such as toothpaste, deodorant and Bic shavers; and foods such as soups, chips, instant oatmeal, bread, cereal and cheese. The surcharge does not apply to certain items, such as mandatory health care and hygiene products. But most inmates have little in their accounts, and the surcharge will decrease the amount of other goods bought. Relatives can deposit money in a prisoner’s account, but most of the families are poor. Moreover, the state draws from inmate accounts to cover child support, restitution, court-ordered fines and fees and co-pays for health care.
A ridiculously punitive 10% surcharge on food and other items for prisoners threatens security and could end up costing the state as much as it yields, if not far more.
Recent Comments