Introduction and an Overview of the Closing Scene

Ahmed, Paul I.; Plog, Stanley C.

doi:10.1007/978-1-4613-4265-6_1

Cited by 2 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 0 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…A consistent theme throughout the literature cites the conditions of institutionswhether carceral or therapeutic-as exceeding the quality necessary for the residents housed within them. Characterizations of prison accommodations by both legislators and journalists describe them as luxurious or "plush" (Wynn 1983), equating them to "the biggest hotel chain in the state" (Ahmed and Plog 1976) or akin to "country club-style living" (Lynch 2009, 121). Although the characterization of prisons as luxury hotels is patently false, in these conceptions, legislators not only highlight the undeservingness of incarcerated people for any services rendered, but also cast them as central villains in this struggle for state resources.…”

Section: Pay-to-staymentioning

confidence: 99%

The “Damaged” State vs. the “Willful” Nonpayer: Pay-to-Stay and the Social Construction of Damage, Harm, and Moral Responsibility in a Rent-Seeking Society

Fernandes

Friedman

Kirk

2022

rsf

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

a Pr il d. fer na ndes , Br it ta n y fr iedm a n , a nd ga Br iel a k ir kStates increasingly look to incarcerated individuals as a source of revenue to alleviate the fiscal burden of incarceration, which results in suing prisoners for these costs. Through lawsuit complaints, states claim they have suffered damages and seek reimbursement from incarcerated individuals through pay-to-stay fees. Drawing from an original dataset consisting of 102 civil complaints from Illinois, we examine how the state constructs damage, harm, and willfulness through pay-to-stay lawsuits. We find that the state achieves this beneficial outcome by labeling incarcerated individuals as willful nonpayers and thereby morally responsible for what it terms damages suffered. Our empirical and theoretical contributions position civil lawsuits as part of imagining incarcerated individuals as fiscally responsible for their incarceration within a rentseeking society, contextualizing the social linkages between willfulness, legal moralism, and perpetual indebtedness.

show abstract

Section: Pay-to-staymentioning

confidence: 99%