"State lawmakers are seeking to end a little-known but controversial program that tries to recoup the costs of incarceration from current and former inmates, saying the state recovers little money and the program puts up obstacles for prisoners returning to the community.

State Rep. Kelly Cassidy, D-Chicago, and state Sen. Daniel Biss, D-Evanston, said they acted after reading a Nov. 30 Tribune story detailing an Illinois Department of Corrections program that sues prisoners to recover the costs of locking them up."

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