Inmate debt and fees policies/reports (State-level) (Department of Corrections)

To Whom It May Concern:

Pursuant to the Iowa Open Records Law (Code Chapter 22), I hereby request the following records:

The following materials regarding the assessment, collection, and balances of inmate fees and debt:

• All policies and procedures regarding the goods, services, or any other expenses for which inmates are or may become liable. Please include all policies on the garnishment/disbursement of funds from inmate accounts and wages (such as those related to mandatory saving, mandatory deductions, coverage of care, personal necessities, etc.), as well as all relevant reporting requirements. Please include all relevant data as regards to medical payments, room and board costs, meal fees, stamps and postage, hygienic materials, and any other expenses for which inmates are or may become liable, etc.

• All reports, databases, spreadsheets, or equivalent materials regarding current debts/restitution paid to or owed to this department or any facility/agency under its jurisdiction. Please include all available segregable information (excluding individual personally-identifying elements, as necessary and appropriate), including but not limited to the reason for the debt/fee, the amount of the debt, the facility at which the debt was incurred, whether the debt is held by an inmate in custody or released, any available individual data regarding record of prior release, etc.

If further clarification is necessary, a phone call will happily be arranged.

The requested documents will be made available to the general public, and this request is not being made for commercial purposes.

In the event that there are fees, I would be grateful if you would inform me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. I would prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or CD-ROM if not.

Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. I look forward to receiving your response to this request within 10 business days, as the statute requires.

Sincerely,

Hello Mr. Scaletta,

Thanks for the clarification. Would it be possible to receive something along the lines of the monies paid to the Department for those categories instead? So rather than how much debt is being currently held, perhaps there might be reports on how much the Department garnished from inmate wages for any purpose or how much was collected for medical co-payments, etc.? This may not speak to the way in which these materials are organized, so I'm happy to discuss further how to reorganize this request.

Hope you're well,
Beryl

Hello Mr. Scaletta,

Thanks for the clarification. Would it be possible to receive something along the lines of the monies paid to the Department for those categories instead? So rather than how much debt is being currently held, perhaps there might be reports on how much the Department garnished from inmate wages for any purpose or how much was collected for medical co-payments, etc.? This may not speak to the way in which these materials are organized, so I'm happy to discuss further how to reorganize this request.

Hope you're well,
Beryl

Hi Mr. Scaletta,

Collections for the year 2015 would be a great place to start.

Thanks so much!
Beryl

Mr. Scaletta,

Thank you so much for this and your explanation of the breakdown. I'll let you know if I have any other questions or requests, and in the meantime, I hope your holiday weekend and days are wonderful.

Best wishes,
Beryl