And moderator Rick and Ed
I’ve been a member on this community for 20 years why still guest?
I’ve been arrested before (in the 1980s) and sent to jail for 48 hours, in that era they did return all personal belongings (including loose cash) on discharge.
It appears this is an area of active litigation, that has not been comprehensively adjudicated at a Federal level. There have been several lawsuits, some settled, at the State level.
Essentially this means that right now it is probably legal, but that it’s a legal gray area that is being actively litigated.
Jails Face Backlash, Class-action Lawsuits Over Debit Card Fees | Prison Legal News
Fee-Based Debit Cards for Ex-Inmates ‘Unlawful’: Lawsuit - The Crime Report
Since it’s a debit card, can you make a cash withdrawal of the total amount and avoid all other charges?
You need to buy a membership to be a Member. And right now, the SDMB can’t accept payments so Guest you will remain.
Another way I’ve heard that people in jails and prisons are exploited is the cost of making phone calls, where the jail or prison receives a kickback from the phone company. This site lists the cost of a fifteen-minute in-state call in each state and the cost varies from $0.20 (in New Hampshire) to $5.70 (in Kentucky).
The minimum or the maximum? I basically live in my car in a hotel in California as a lot of people
That’s a racket also. The costs are absurd. In addition they have a service to provide prisoners with cash for purchases allowed like toothpaste, pen and paper, etc. Like the phone calls and cash returns there are absurd charges associated.
As for the cash returns, this costs the police nothing in the first place, they take your cash and throw it the same envelope as all your other belongings, then they give that back when you leave. There was no reason to change that except to make some money for the debit card company and some corrupt officials.
I’m confused - what do bail bondsmen have to do with this?
If you want to get out of jail you have to have an an address.
Even if you have the money they won’t let you out. It’s a weird dichotomy that bothers me.
I’ve been homeless for about 3 years so I’m not entirely sure about that one
That might depend on whether you are in police custody or in jail and for how long. Sure, if you get arrested and released before going to jail, the police have just put your cash in the same envelope as your other property. But in my experience, if you actually end up in jail the money doesn’t stay in the envelope. It is deposited in an inmate account, which is also where money sent by your/friends and family goes. I’ve heard of these funds being returned by cash and by check but this the first time I’ve heard of hem being returned by a debit card.
When I left jail I did not have my cash nor my ID nor my wallet. Again I want to say that they were very respectful but I think there’s still some stuff in a box
This generally is not true, most States they have to create a “trust account”, and they are responsible for administering and overseeing it. One of the news articles I linked to, the local government claimed there was something like $200,000 in administrative expenses related to managing those trust accounts over some period of years, as justification for going to the debit card system (I’m sure some creative accounting is being used to come up with that number, but I’m also sure the actual administrative cost isn’t $0 either.)
Look I broke the law and I will deal with that s***. But this debit card thing is really bothering me because it going to hurt people can’t afford to pay for it
I hate the overdraft fee. Why should anyone pay $35 for not having moneyI
. I just think it’s time to stop this b*******
And just so everyone knows I’m not going to go do anything weird or bizarre. I just think it’s time to stop punishing people for being poor
Yes, if you want to post bail and get released while your case is pending you will probably need an address. You will certainly need an address to get a bail bond - but that’s a completely separate issue from the return of your money.
I am assuming you have been released - to minimize the fees, you should withdraw the cash in the minimum number of transactions allowed - for example, if cash withdrawal has a $500 limit, make as many $500 withdrawals as your balance allows, and then a smaller withdrawal for the remaining balance.
I understand what you are saying. I’ve only seen this in practice with short ‘vacations’. I suppose some inmates sued to access their cash or demand that it earn interest or some-such nonsense. But as you see now with this debit card thing it’s just once again the practice to profit from prisoners.
And I do understand prisoners should have access to their money, I’m not against that. It’s the profiteering off of societies bad fortune that disgusts me.
If you need a mailing address, you could contact a Community Service Agency and arrange to have mail delivered to them. Here’s one in the Sacramento area:
You’re not getting charged $35 for not having money, you’re getting charged for using someone else’s money. I agree with you in principle though, there are a lot of traps for the poor that makes keeping the money they do have more difficult. I also think that banks shouldn’t have automatic overdraft facilities, you should have to request it specifically and then you should have to do something to approve it each time you go into overdraft, otherwise it’s just sucking money out of the people least able to afford it. Flat rate fines disproportionately affect the poor. The billionaire doesn’t give a shit if they get fined $300 for speeding but that could take months to come back from if you’re poor.
Hence the six or seven-figure fines in some European countries to drivers with a large income who are repeat offenders and/or were going really fast. (I.e., the fine will be some multiple of the offender’s daily income.)