Pay-to-stay refers to the practice of states and local governments charging fees for the day-to-day cost of incarceration.
Pay-to-Stay Mapped
Use our national map to track pay-to-stay statutes and policies across states and decades.
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What is pay-to-stay?
In many U.S. jurisdictions, incarcerated people are charged for the cost of their detention. This often adds thousands of dollars in debt. States use a variety of collection methods that circumvent traditional criminal processes and protections.
The latest numbers
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45 states currently have active prison pay-to-stay statutes or policies
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The largest pay-to-stay lawsuit amount in our sample of Michigan data, 2003-2019
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The average pay-to-stay amount in our sample of Illinois data, 1996-2015
Over the last decade, we have compiled the most comprehensive dataset on the practice of prison pay-to-stay. Learn more about your state's policy landscape.
The DataCaptive Money Lab expands public understanding of pay-to-stay and works toward reforming the laws that enable it
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