JPay/Facebook
It's expensive to be an inmate in the United States—and families of inmates are often left footing the bill.
Costs for basic needs such as toiletries are rising, while inmates wages have remained stagnate. In some places, prison inmates earn 12 cents an hour. JPay is a bank that allows people to transfer money to their incarcerated loved ones, but the fees are steep. Fees can reach from 35 to 45 percent.
From the story: "JPay and other prison bankers collect tens of millions of dollars every year from inmates’ families in fees for basic financial services. To make payments, some forego medical care, skip utility bills and limit contact with their imprisoned relatives, the Center for Public Integrity found in a six-month investigation."
Read the full investigation at the Center for Public Integrity. It's part of a two-part series.