Today in Salem: Three horses trot south, each one carrying a constable and a passenger. The slave Tituba, the beggar Sarah Good, and the sickly Sarah Osborne fold in on themselves for warmth as they ride through the blustery cold to a ferry, sail over the frigid bay, then continue riding to the jail in Boston, where criminals are tried and executed. These three aren’t scheduled for trial yet, but Salem is a day’s ride away, and it will save time if they’re already here when the court is ready for them.
The beggar Sarah Good snarls and holds her baby close as the jail keeper locks her into a shared cell with Tituba and Sarah Osborne. None has had anything to eat: the slave, the beggar, and the sick are hardly prosperous enough to bring food with them. Instead, the jail keeper’s wife will give them a simple supper of bread and butter and add the cost to their jail bills. Like any prisoner, each woman will pay the entire cost of her imprisonment. Even if she’s found to be innocent she’ll stay in jail – accruing even more costs – until the bill is paid.
LEARN MORE: Why did prisoners have to pay for their time in jail?
Then as now, it was expensive to keep someone in jail. Taxes were used to keep the building in repair and to support the jail keeper and his family (who usually lived upstairs). Prisoners had to buy everything else, though, including food, blankets, even their own shackles and chains. Wealthy prisoners could pay to stay in the jail keeper’s house, or go to church under guard.
Not much has changed. In fact, “pay-to-stay” is practiced in every state except Hawaii (as of Nov 2020). Depending on the state, prisoners pay for anything from toilet paper to food. In some prisons, more affluent inmates can pay for cells with bigger beds, private TVs, and sofas.
At the time of the trials, prisoners were held until their entire bill was paid. Today, prisoners are released and expected to pay their bills over time. If they default on the debt, the government may seize their savings, paychecks, inheritances, or other sources of income.
