There’s a place where judges sentence people not to a length of time, but to an amount of debt. They won’t be free until they earn enough at fast-food and manual labor jobs to pay off every penny.

Welcome to Mississippi’s restitution center.

BY ANNA WOLFE AND MICHELLE LIU | DATA ANALYSIS BY ANDREW CALDERÓN
Credit: Alex Merto for The Marshall Project

Our 14-month-long investigation into these modern-day debtors prisons exposes how Mississippi locks people into prison-like work camps to pay off fines, fees and restitution to victims from felony convictions. The inmates are placed into low-wage, sometimes dangerous jobs, while Mississippi Department of Corrections handles their paychecks, taking the first cut in “room and board” and transportation costs.

Some people spent years earning their freedom.

This investigation was published in partnership with The Marshall Projectthe USA TODAY-Network, the Jackson Clarion-Ledger and the Mississippi Center for Investigative Reporting. The Marshall Project is a nonprofit news organization covering the U.S. criminal justice system; sign up for The Marshall Project’s newsletters, or follow them on Facebook or Twitter.