Florida Is Charging Formerly Incarcerated People $50 A Day After Sentence

Florida Is Charging Formerly Incarcerated People $50 A Day Even If They’re No Longer In Prison After Sentence

It’s a common saying: You do the crime, you do the time. But when people are released from prison, freedom is fragmented. It marks the start of new hardships, impacting families and communities.

Part of that is due to a Florida law many people are unaware of, further punishing second-chance citizens, preventing them from truly moving on.

It’s called “pay-to-stay”, charging inmates for their prison stay, like a hotel they were forced to book. Florida law says that cost, $50 a day, is based on the person’s sentence. Even if they are released early, paying for a cell they no longer occupy, and regardless of their ability to pay.

 

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Not only can the state bill an inmate the $50 a day even after they are released, Florida can also impose a new bill on the next occupant of that bed, potentially allowing the state to double, triple, or quadruple charge for the same bed. Critics call it unconstitutional. Shelby Hoffman calls it a hole with no ladder to climb out.

“I work 12-hour shifts,” Shelby Hoffman said, driving to work. Hoffman is part of Tampa General Hospital Crystal River’s clinical staff. “The healthcare field has always been, you know, of great interest to me,” Hoffman said.

She’s worked hard to get to where she’s at, but wants more. Hoffman is on track to earn her Bachelor’s degree this year.

“At this point in my life with everything I’ve been through, all my experiences, my desirable goal is to work in case management,” Hoffman said. “As somebody who is in recovery, doing case management is my way of being part of the solution. And now, where I’m at today, I’m truly being stopped by one single barrier and it is a dollar sign.”

Florida has what’s called an “exemption from disqualification” for certain employment opportunities. The state takes into consideration “the time period that has elapsed since the criminal incident, the nature of harm caused to the victim, and any other evidence or circumstances indicating that you will not present a danger working directly with children or vulnerable adults.”