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Pay-If-You-Go Prisons?

Inspired by Bernie Madoff‘s 150-year prison sentence, New York state assemblyman Jim Tedisco introduced a bill that, as the Economist reports, would establish a “pay-if-you-go” model for prisons, whereby wealthy inmates pay for their own incarceration costs, thereby easing the burden on taxpayers. Detractors argue, however, that adding to inmates’ debt might push them into more crime and concentrate the financial burden on their families. Addendum: Daniel Freedman also made the case for a “pay-if-you-go” system in this Forbes column back in March.[%comments]


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