State Rakes In Hundreds Of Thousands Of Dollars From Prisoners

The State Attorney General says a record $884,000 was collected from Missouri’s prisoners last year under a program designed to reimburse the state for their incarceration. And Jay Nixon says that surpasses the previous record set in 2003 by more than $400,000. Nixon says it’s not an easy task considering how prisoners try to hide their earnings and assets from the state. Nixon says his office is helped by a network of county clerks and officials who seem glad to help the Attorney General track down the money. He says only prisoners who have assets and money after all of their obligations, such as child support, are met are targeted for the collection.