Arizona Is Charging People To Visit Prisoners
Visitors to Arizona prisoners got a rude awakening when it was announced that a new Arizona law would allow prisons to change visitors to see prisoners.
News One, via the Associated Press, reports:
A new Arizona law that charges visitors to state prisons a one-time $25 fee is being challenged as unconstitutional.
The law went into effect July 20. It requires visitors at 15 state prisons to pay the fee for background checks.
But the money actually gets deposited into a building renewal fund.
The Middle Ground Prison Reform has sued the state Department of Corrections seeking to have the fee declared a tax and any money paid so far returned to visitors.
The group says it believes the fee is unique among states.
Corrections officials deny allegations that it targets vulnerable groups and that it’s unconstitutional. They say the fees will help ensure inmate safety.
It’s bad enough that prisoners are locked behind bars, but sticking the few visitors that they do get with a $25 fee is a slap in the face.
This is the same state that passed immigration laws in Arizona that encourages racial profiling, so we shouldn’t be surprised by anything the government in AZ pulls.
