What happens to excess money obtained illegally by an inmate?

• A. It should be kept by the facility as revenue.
• B. It may be converted for inmate trust funds or donated to charity.
• C. It must be returned to the inmate.
• D. It should be used to purchase supplies.

Answer: (B)

When money is obtained illegally by an inmate, the appropriate approach is to remove the tainted funds from circulation and dispose of them in a neutral, lawful way. The idea is to prevent rewarding illicit behavior or giving the inmate an unearned windfall, while still handling the value in a responsible manner. Placing the funds into an inmate trust fund or donating them to a charitable cause achieves this: it keeps the money out of the inmate’s hands for personal use or for the institution’s gain, but still accounts for the value in a lawful manner that benefits the community or the inmate population in a neutral way.

Keeping it as revenue would create a financial incentive for illicit activity. Returning it to the inmate would reward illegal behavior. Using it to purchase supplies would effectively convert tainted money into operational benefits, which is inappropriate.