Only in America: The cost of imprisonment

A study discovers the obscene cost of imprisonment in New York — and more in our collection of strange revelations about the nation

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The cost of imprisonment
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A new study from New York City's Independent Budget Office found that the annual cost per inmate in the city is as much as a four-year tuition at an Ivy League university. An incredible $167,731 is spent on each individual inmate every year — that's nearly $460 per inmate per day.

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Samantha Rollins
Samantha Rollins

Samantha Rollins is TheWeek.com's news editor. She has previously worked for The New York Times and TIME and is a graduate of Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism.