1. United States
2. S.C.
3. Letter

To: Members of Congress and the Department of Justice Subject: Urgent Review of Interstate Inmate Transfer Agreements I’m writing about the Interstate Corrections Compact and the Interstate Agreement on Detainers, enacted in 1970. These agreements were created for safety, overcrowding, and proximity to family. In practice, they have become a system where states routinely transfer inmates across state lines, receive reimbursement, and the public has no clear accounting of how many people are moved or how much money is spent. The last comprehensive data on this is from 2006. That’s almost 20 years with no transparency. Meanwhile, states and private contractors are paid to house these inmates, and the total cost is estimated in the hundreds of millions annually. At the same time, programs like NASA struggle to get funding for projects that benefit all of us. I am not accusing anyone of criminal intent. I am saying that a legal loophole has become a de facto business, and that business is costing taxpayers while lacking oversight. If we want checks and balances, we need current data, public reporting on transfers and costs, and a review of whether this system still serves its original purpose. I urge Congress to investigate the scale of this practice, publish the numbers by state, and consider reforms to end the financial incentive to transfer inmates. The money saved could be redirected to public programs that benefit everyone. Thank you for your time and for considering this request.