The Council of State Governments Justice Center released a new report, Repaying Debts, that helps address an important reentry issue with the jail and prison populations and their often limited financial resources. Their inability to meet financial obligations often results in reincarceration and these recommendations should help policy makers improve how these debts are collected. This publication lists the following six policy areas:

1. Identify state and local laws and policies that address court orders for child support, victimrestitution, and other fines, fees, and surcharges and determine how these laws and policies

   are used to govern collections made from people released from prisons and jails.
   

2. Coordinate—and ideally integrate—distinct agencies’ policies, procedures, and informationsystems so that the fines, fees, surcharges, and restitution orders of each person sentenced toprison or jail are consolidated to improve collection rates, where possible, and child support

   and restitution are prioritized appropriately.
   

3. Enact child support enforcement policies that encourage parents released from prisons andjails to maintain legitimate employment that will help them provide long-term support to

   their children.
   

4. Ensure that victims receive the restitution they are owed.
   

5. Make certain that new fines, fees, and surcharges do not reduce the ability of people returning

   from prisons and jails to pay child support and restitution.
   

6. Establish a range of sanctions and incentives that agencies responsible for collections canexercise when a person released from prison or jail does not meet his or her child supportand court-ordered financial obligations