NCJ Number
85070
Date Published
1974
Length
27 pages
Annotation
An examination of the financial condition of men when they are released from State prisons shows that most leave as they entered: poor and with few employable skills and little work experience.
Abstract
Only two States, Delaware and North Dakota, provide neither gate money (money provided upon leaving prison) nor a supplement. The other States provide only a small amount, usually between $10 and $50. Besides gate money, many States provide clothing and transportation upon release. Thirty-six States provide both; nine provide only clothing; three provide only transportation; and three States provide neither clothing nor transportation. With 21 States reporting, the most frequent wage paid for institutional work or prison industries is between $.50 and $1.00 a day. Since the States pay so little in wages, it is not surprising that most inmates have little or no savings when they are released from prison. Those inmates who are able to save money in prison are those few who go on work release or long termers who have had a relatively good job in prison over a long period of time. When a released inmate is eligible for State welfare assistance, he usually receives only emergency aid, the minimum amount for 1 or 2 days. Only a minority of States (18) have any loans available for released prisoners; and of the States that do, loans are a rare occurrence. In addition to the provision of tabular data on the previous topics, data are also provided on the average costs of maintaining a man in prison for 1 day.