A pair of Illinois lawmakers are trying to stop the state from suing former prisoners to pay for their own incarceration.
Right now, the state of Illinois sues about 10 former inmates a year.
"It’s morally repugnant, it’s just, it’s wrong," State Representative Kelly Cassidy said.
Cassidy is sponsoring a new bill to prohibit the Illinois Department of Corrections from trying to get money from former inmates.
"It’s also counterproductive. We know any barrier to re-entry is a path to recidivism," Cassidy said.
A corrections spokeswoman says they are neutral on the bill.
Meanwhile, a spokeswoman for the Illinois attorney general says they would welcome the change.
Last fall, WBEZ in Chicago reported on one lawsuit in which the state was seeking more than 100 thousand dollars from a parolee.