# I just spent 40 years in prison. \[What do states provide to prisoners after leaving prison?} **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 30, 2018, 9:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-spent-40-years-in-prison-what-do-states-provide-to-prisoners-after-leaving-prison/820511 "2018-08-30T09:56:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![szabrocki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/958977/32.png) [@szabrocki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/szabrocki)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2018, 9:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-spent-40-years-in-prison-what-do-states-provide-to-prisoners-after-leaving-prison/820511/1 "2018-08-30T09:56:20Z")
Hi all! Say, I just got out of prison after a 40 year sentence, no probation. (Don’t need answer fast) State of Maine specifically! I would like to hear about other states. What do they give you? New clothes, shoes, A one way buss ticket to anywhere buss’s run? ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2018, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-spent-40-years-in-prison-what-do-states-provide-to-prisoners-after-leaving-prison/820511/2 "2018-08-30T11:44:11Z")
in the past some states would give you a little money and a bus ticket but I don’t think that is true now from what I’ve seen. I guess they might give you a ride to a bus station but a lot of prisons are in rural areas not near bus lines. You have to rely on friends or family for a ride and new clothes. ---
**Author:** ![Arkcon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Arkcon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arkcon)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2018, 11:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-spent-40-years-in-prison-what-do-states-provide-to-prisoners-after-leaving-prison/820511/3 "2018-08-30T11:52:21Z")
\*Is that Elwood? Yeah. Did you tell him Jake died? I thought you did.\* “Wow. This is really a surprise for me. As a warden, I had no idea his time was almost up. I just figured we give him his ratty ol’ blues suit back, and send him out the door.” Said nobody, ever. **Prisoner release services** vary widely across municipalities. But yeah, beginning several months before some steps are taken to secure what’s needed for release. That can include a bus ticket, if its in the budget, and if the prisoner needs one – they have a place to go, and a reason to go there. New clothes may be in the budget, or not, and also depend on need – does the individual need new clothes for their new life? The municipality has spent lots of money housing, feeding, and guarding the prisoner. Those expenses don’t cease the instant of release, the prisoner release services are factored into the cost of imprisonment. ---
**Author:** ![Arkcon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Arkcon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arkcon)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2018, 11:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-spent-40-years-in-prison-what-do-states-provide-to-prisoners-after-leaving-prison/820511/4 "2018-08-30T11:54:15Z")
Here’s a listing of services state by state: [https://lionheart.org/prison/state-by-state-listing-of-re-entry-programs-for-prisoners/](https://lionheart.org/prison/state-by-state-listing-of-re-entry-programs-for-prisoners/) ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2018, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-spent-40-years-in-prison-what-do-states-provide-to-prisoners-after-leaving-prison/820511/5 "2018-08-30T12:02:57Z")
I think Texas give you a coffin and an unmarked grave. ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2018, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-spent-40-years-in-prison-what-do-states-provide-to-prisoners-after-leaving-prison/820511/6 "2018-08-30T12:43:10Z")
> [@szabrocki](#): > > Say, I just got out of prison after a 40 year sentence, no probation. What a difference one comma makes! ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2018, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-spent-40-years-in-prison-what-do-states-provide-to-prisoners-after-leaving-prison/820511/7 "2018-08-30T12:46:02Z")
> [@szabrocki](#): > > Say, I just got out of prison after a 40 year sentence, no probation. (Don’t need answer fast) Does anyone really serve a lengthy sentence and not get out with parole/probation? I knew a guy who received three years for his umpteenth DUI. While in prison he was repeatedly offered sentence reductions in exchange for various things (alcohol awareness classes, early release with monitoring and piss testing). He was hardcore and turned down each offer. He served every day of his sentence, but as I understand it that’s a rarity. When he was released he went out to celebrate at a bar before the stink was even washed off. Drove home drunk, but wasn’t caught. ---
**Author:** ![EscAlaMike](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/escalamike/32/4177_2.png) [@EscAlaMike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EscAlaMike)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2018, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-spent-40-years-in-prison-what-do-states-provide-to-prisoners-after-leaving-prison/820511/8 "2018-08-30T13:38:43Z")
In Alabama, they give you a set of clothes if you need them, a bus ticket to anywhere in the state (prison staff will drive you to the nearest bus station), and a temporary photo ID. They also give you a prepaid debit card with a stipend. The amount of the stipend depends on several factors including how long of a term you served. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2018, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-spent-40-years-in-prison-what-do-states-provide-to-prisoners-after-leaving-prison/820511/9 "2018-08-30T13:50:29Z")
I believe if you were paid for working in prison, or somebody put money into your commissary account, you get that money when you are released. It’s less than MW, but it is something. A forty year sentence means you are probably in your sixties, and your parents are dead. No work history, a felony record, no Social Security - this is going to be a tough row to hoe no matter what. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2018, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-spent-40-years-in-prison-what-do-states-provide-to-prisoners-after-leaving-prison/820511/10 "2018-08-30T14:18:17Z")
I have edited the title to better indicate the subject. Colibri General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2018, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-spent-40-years-in-prison-what-do-states-provide-to-prisoners-after-leaving-prison/820511/11 "2018-08-30T14:29:54Z")
[\*\*I did some research on the Maine state prison system \*\*](http://www.mainepublic.org/post/life-after-prison-maine#stream/0)and read that released prisoners are given $50 and, if on medication in prison, thirty days worth of medication. That’s it. The article was written on July 23, 2018, so it is pretty current. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2018, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-spent-40-years-in-prison-what-do-states-provide-to-prisoners-after-leaving-prison/820511/12 "2018-08-30T14:41:39Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > I think Texas give you a coffin and an unmarked grave. Pretty sure we give you a marker too, if that’s how you’re leaving prison… > **[Captain Joe Byrd Cemetery](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captain_Joe_Byrd_Cemetery)** > > The Captain Joe Byrd Cemetery is the main prison cemetery in Texas, located in Huntsville and operated by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ). The colloquial name for the cemetery is Peckerwood Hill. The name originates from "Peckerwood", an insult towards poor white people, because many of those buried at the cemetery were poor. > It is the place where prisoners not claimed by their families are buried. It is the largest prison cemetery in the State of Texas. Byrd's first prisoners we... ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2018, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-spent-40-years-in-prison-what-do-states-provide-to-prisoners-after-leaving-prison/820511/13 "2018-08-30T14:44:23Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > no Social Security - this is going to be a tough row to hoe no matter what. > > Regards, > Shodan Spending 40 years in prison working a prison job you are paid to do doesn’t count toward social security? Are your prison wages taxed? (I do not know. Anybody?) ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2018, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-spent-40-years-in-prison-what-do-states-provide-to-prisoners-after-leaving-prison/820511/14 "2018-08-30T14:52:40Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Spending 40 years in prison working a prison job you are paid to do doesn’t count toward social security? Are your prison wages taxed? (I do not know. Anybody?) Even if social security taxes are taken out of it, the amount, and hence the eventual payments, would be miniscule. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2018, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-spent-40-years-in-prison-what-do-states-provide-to-prisoners-after-leaving-prison/820511/15 "2018-08-30T15:16:13Z")
A job bagging groceries until you hang yourself. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2018, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-spent-40-years-in-prison-what-do-states-provide-to-prisoners-after-leaving-prison/820511/16 "2018-08-30T15:31:53Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > A job bagging groceries until you hang yourself. _Brooks was here_ ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2018, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-spent-40-years-in-prison-what-do-states-provide-to-prisoners-after-leaving-prison/820511/17 "2018-08-30T15:40:23Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Spending 40 years in prison working a prison job you are paid to do doesn’t count toward social security? Are your prison wages taxed? (I do not know. Anybody?) Prison wages are not taxed or counted towards social security. As yabob noted, they’re miniscule. (But on the positive side they include room and board and a comprehensive health plan.) ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2018, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-spent-40-years-in-prison-what-do-states-provide-to-prisoners-after-leaving-prison/820511/18 "2018-08-30T15:42:35Z")
After forty years in prison, do you actually have any family or friends at all or a place to go? I think I would destroy some sinks in the washroom and get my sentence extended. That seems like a much better option than going out into a world that you don’t know with nothing and nowhere to go. ---
**Author:** ![md2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@md2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md2000)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2018, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-spent-40-years-in-prison-what-do-states-provide-to-prisoners-after-leaving-prison/820511/19 "2018-08-30T15:44:39Z")
I presume you’d have the same eligibility for welfare as anyone who had not worked in 40 years. They obviously can’t toss you out in a prison uniform or with on clothes on, so there would be some form of clothing process. They may or may not have your clothes from 40 years ago, but those may not fit. (or are buried in the evidence archive in the courthouse) ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2018, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-spent-40-years-in-prison-what-do-states-provide-to-prisoners-after-leaving-prison/820511/20 "2018-08-30T15:46:34Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Prison wages are not taxed or counted towards social security. As yabob noted, they’re miniscule. (But on the positive side they include room and board and a comprehensive health plan.) Thank you. My son is a corrections officer at a prison in Florida. He _loves_ his job. I used to ask if “anything interesting happened at work today” but I stopped because what he told me freaked me out. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-spent-40-years-in-prison-what-do-states-provide-to-prisoners-after-leaving-prison/820511.md?page=2)