New Rules On Federal Inmate Financial Responsibility Program
The amount of money that federal prisoners have in their commissary accounts came under scrutiny when it was reported that some prisoners, namely Larry Nasser and R. Kelly, had tens of thousands of dollars in their account. The money, many believed, should not be used on improving the comforts of prison when there are victims to be compensated. As a result, the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) and Department of Justice proposed supplemental notice of a proposed rule in how it handles the Inmate Financial Responsibility Program (IFRP).
The IFRP has been around since 1987 and was meant to encourage federal prisoners to pay financial obligations and learn financial planning skills, such as prioritizing payment to victims. While IFRP is stated as being voluntary while incarcerated, there are penalties for not participating such as loss of commissary and benefits of participating in prerelease custody programs such as halfway house.
