Meet the Prison Bankers who Profit from Inmates

Daniel Wagner, Center for Public Integrity: With the ultimate captive markets, prison bankers and state jailers make money off high fees for financial services. ... JPay and other prison bankers collect tens of millions of dollars every year from inmates' families in fees for basic financial services. To make payments, some forego medical care, skip utility bills and limit contact with their imprisoned relatives, the Center for Public Integrity found in a six-month investigation. Inmates earn as little as 12 cents per hour in many places, wages that have not increased for decades. The prices they pay for goods to meet their basic needs continue to increase. By erecting a virtual tollbooth at the prison gate, JPay has become a critical financial conduit for an opaque constellation of vendors that profit from millions of poor families with incarcerated loved ones.