More evidence that the American prison system isn’t about rehabilitating people but exploiting them to make profits.

An ex had to go to jail for just a few days because we couldn’t afford the bail for him to get out prior to the court hearing. I’ll never forget how expensive it was to stay in touch. He called me (I think through the exact same phone system mentioned in this article) so I could pass on messages to his employer and family, and a 10 minute phone call ended up costing me over $60.

Luckily, the charges were all dropped a few days later in court and he didn’t end up in prison. But it absolutely makes me sick that anybody can defend the profit driven motives of the system. Even in cases where somebody commits a violent crime and needs to be locked up, it should be done out of the safety of others rather than to exploit them to make money.