How are prison bankers, private vendors, and corrections agencies profiting within an industry plagued by debt? By charging the families of those incarcerated for everything from phone calls to restitution and fees to goods and services they need while behind bars. Prisoners who have jobs on the inside make extremely low wages, and those with families on the outside who can help often receive funds from an internet service called JPay, the undisputed leader in the market for getting money into prisons.

With families sending almost a billion dollars to loved ones behind bars through JPay in the past year alone, the company easily collected millions of dollars in fees. In many states, families do not have a choice when using the services, as JPay has become responsible for handling not only electronic payments in prisons, but the traditional money order services as well.

Is this new method of caring for incarcerated loved ones fair to families already in crisis? Watch the full video at publicintegrity.org