Stimulus checks for inmates? Hey, why not — did you really think the party of Henry Waxman was really going to continue to allow cigarets to be used as currency?
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I’m shocked, shocked I….oh who the hell am I kidding?
Dems just want to make sure there will checks for themselves when they land in prison.
I am a prison librarian, and this is something that is both a problem and a farce. First of all, some inmates did work in the previous year and are perfectly entitled to get what Uncle Sam (and whatever other government) owes for what was earned and taxed and to be refunded. Also, the IRS is still rather insistent that the inmates file if they did make enough income to have it required. Meanwhile, the government doesn’t do diddly squat against the fraud that does inevitably occur when inmates are placed in a position where there is a potential for “free” money. This happens in Arizona, Massachusetts, and everywhere. It happens in Federal Prisons, state prisons, and local jails. And since the money is often sent automatically as soon as the processing happens, it’s a good scam. At least it’s not a bad one, since the government very rarely spend the money to prosecute these crimes. What are they gonna do, send the criminal to prison? Why transfer the cost when the prosecution is expensive and then it costs so much to house the jerk? Let the states handle them, and hope that it doesn’t happen again. At least that seems to be the thinking.
Also, inmate identity theft is one of the easiest of crimes. Usually it’s committed by other inmates, but the actual usage of the identities is done by those outside the prison: sometimes by illegal immigrants (the inmates love it when they’re collecting future Social Security payments rather than not doing so, plus the illegals never collect their refunds) and sometimes by criminals in need of credit cards, rental properties, and such. I’ve heard many stories of inmates who had their credit ruined and many stories of inmates who sold or gave away their SSNs so they would be better off in twelve or fifteen years. But I haven’t met many inmates in for stealing identities. Some, but not many.