$25 Prison Visit Arizona – If you are in Arizona and want to visit a prison inmate, it is going to cost you $25. The Arizona Department of Corrections will start to implement the $25 fee to visit a prison in the state thanks to new legislation.
Thought to be the first of its kind, Arizona prion system will levee a $25 fee at all of their 15 prison complexes. The aim of the fee is to fill the Arizona 1.6 billion shortfall in their budget. The 15 prison complexes house state prisoners around Arizona. The background check fee of $25 is cause for concern amongst advocacy groups and agencies in Arizona and around the country.
$25 Prison Visit Arizona
$25 Prison Visit Arizona
The $25 prison fee in Arizona will not be per visit, so it isn’t as bad as it may seem, however, many people are still very upset. The $25 is a one time background check fee implemented by the state to try and help close some holds in the Arizona 1.6 billion shortfall in their budget.
However, many people were outraged to hear the $25 would go to the general budget funds. They felt this would be unconstitutional since this would amount to a special fee against one particular group of people for the general budget needs of the state of Arizona.
In response to this complaint and legitimate concern, the $25 fee will not go towards the general state of Arizona budget, but toward prison maintenance and upkeep, which they say is badly needed as well. The $25 isn’t going towards paying for the background checks, but towards prison maintenance.
Many people feel this is a short sighted move by law makers. They point to statistics that show in order to make sure people leave prison and never return is to allow and encourage healthy and consistent contact with family, friends and loved ones. They feel the special $25 dollar prison visit fee in Arizona will hurt this process.
Most of the people trying to visit a loved one in prison have to travel to remote parts of the state, which cost them money to get there, then they are subjected to an additional fee. This may be great for the prison system in the short run, but it may hurt community in long as more and more people return to a life of crime as a result.
What do you think about the $25 Prison Visit Arizona?
Many states across the union are looking for ways to increase revenue in light of their struggling budget situations. Arizona is the first state to implement a $25 fee on prison visits, but they will likely not be the last. Let’s hear your thoughts on the matter. Is this a good way for the state to generate another source of revenue or just one more way for them to pull even more money out of the people in their time of need?
My issue with this fee is it isn’t just the states that are struggling. The people in these states are hurting as well. It may seem like only $25 to you, but what about a family of 4 going to visit a loved one in prison? They have to pay $100 just to get in plus expenses of traveling to the prison in the first place.
Many people in prison are from the lower socio-economic backgrounds. An extra $25 isn’t lying around waiting to be used by everyone. They can barely afford to keep the lights on from day to day. This should be interesting to see how the public reaction plays out on this, but I want to hear from you. What do you think about this addition fee? - $25 Prison Visit Arizona
$25.00 to cover the visitors background check expense sounds like a good plan to me. Otherwise tax payers have to pick up another expense for people who break the law. I’m already having to foot the bill for the guilty as it is. Between court costs, free attorney’s and inmate housing costs I’m footing more then enough for these criminals! people who don’t like it then don’t visit them or better yet maybe help discourage them from committing more crimes when they do get out.
Tax payer is correct. Most criminals have been mooching off the system for a long time. Their families are too lazy to discipline them when they are small, so let their parents pay. Matter of fact, I think their parents should repay the school district for the cost of their education and the wasted education dollars… only exemptions would be real special need children with cognitive disabilities not emotional behavior disorders. This law, after a generation, would force parents to wear condoms; to attend teacher meetings; to enroll their kids in extra-cirricular activities: to get off their lazy backsides and get their kids to practices… to actually be accountable for their kids…parents ….if they know they have to pay…will change their behavior. Put the parents in jail with the kids; if their drops out of high school take away benefits from the parents: drivers’ licenses; tax refunds; put the parents of high school drop outs on probation until that child gets a ged and a job. Again let the parent pay the school district back every month until they get a GED. Yeah it will be hard the first ten years of holding parents accountable but after that I betcha people will think twice about casually reproducing and those with kids will spend more time with them. Get rid of standarized testing: teach math; reading; writing; science in grades 1-6. After that separate the kids into vocational ed or academic depending on test scores. In seventh grade: call it transition year: kids explore their vocations and those who didn’t make academic can have one year to try again. Those in academic seventh grade get to explore soft subjects. In eigth grade thru 11 grade study year academics study hard and vocational kids learn a trade. This will force parents to be serious about their child’s education from day one: they will do homework with them…because you only have 5 years….
It’s a great idea…inmates have free housing, medical care and at some prisons in this state, SC, internet access. Everyone should be this well taken care of. If they don’t like the situation maybe next time they’ll think twice about doing the crime. Why should the people of AZ have to pick up the check for background checks?
Under the circustances a good idea. When one of our family members was in prison they had already burdened the taxpayer long before.
Great idea. It’s a one time fee, not that expensive in the long haul. May keep undesireables from visiting with a background check. May even catch a few more. I am tired of paying for all the free loaders, who really have no excuse other than lazy and want to ‘work’ the system. In these times I do not see a reason the inmates cannot be put to work repairing roads etc. They just might learn a real trade and come out productive. Perhaps more correction institutions might follow Arizona with the fees and Sheriff Low from Texas who makes the inmates wear pink jumpsuits.
Why should general tax funds be used to pay for the background checks? States have implemented user fees on many state parks – which means in addition to our tax dollars being sucked up by the park operation costs–we have to pay a fee to actually go to, and even park in a state park.
We are already providing free room & board for criminals so why should we pay for the visitors also.
What really bothers me is the attitude of entitlement prisoners & prisoners wives all seem to have. I would rather being putting my money into sending a low income kid to college than visit daddy at the state pen.
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