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Advocates urge repeal of ‘pay‑to‑stay’ and prisoner medical fees, saying collections harm reentry
Summary
Historic testimony urged repeal of statutory room‑and‑board and medical fees charged to incarcerated people and their families, arguing fees extract earnings, impede reentry and yield negligible revenue for the state; Campaign Zero and others urged passing bills H.2734/S.1756 and H.2659/S.1757.
Policy researchers and anti‑poverty advocates told the committee that statutory room‑and‑board fees and medical fees charged to incarcerated people are counterproductive, punitive and expensive to administer.
Campaign Zero presented data showing Massachusetts collected roughly $155,137 in room‑and‑board deductions in fiscal year 2025 — money that advocates said came from extremely low…
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