Prison fees across the country are on the rise. Researchers continue to investigate where these fees are coming from and why. The article “Welcome to Prison. Will You be Paying Cash or Credit?” by Nate Rawlings, gives readers great detail on how much inmates have to “pay” for their punishment. Another article “Costly Prison Fees Are Putting Inmates Deep in Debt,” by Tanzina Vega, also shows that other prisons are charging inmates a certain dollar amount for every day they are incarcerated and additional charges for things such as parole, visitation, and probation. Vega and Rawlings also tell their readers the affects these charges have on inmates post prison. Now there are many other articles just like these two. These two articles show the facts concerning charges inmates have to …show more content…
Will You Be Paying Cash or Credit?” published August 21, 2013 in Time Magazine, explains what inmates have to pay for while incarcerated, and the effects it has on them after their release from prison. Rawlings tells his readers that inmates have to pay a certain amount of money for materials such as pants, blankets, towels, and toilet paper. Rawlings’ article was published after Anderson County Jail said they were going to start charging for said items mention above. The purpose of his article is to show readers that inmates will be paying back to taxpayers while incarcerated. He adds more detail about how these charges affect inmates after leaving. Rawlings tells readers that most inmates in the prison system are poor and uneducated. After leaving prison, they are expected to find a job and pay these fees back. He also tells us that if the inmates do not pay back they could end up back in prison or be charged interest. Rawlings supports his article with interviews from people at the Anderson County jail. Over all, his article shows great detail of the cost of incarceration and how it affects inmates post