The problem with forcing prisoners to fund their own punishment is that it makes incarceration easier. If you are not even willing to pay the full expenses of taking away someone’s freedom, how can I believe that you have fully taken into account the full weight of taking away someone’s freedom before doing it? And if you take it a step farther, and actually turn profit from said imprisonment - I cannot trust your claims that it’s justified.
The problem with forcing prisoners to fund their own punishment is that it makes incarceration easier. If you are not even willing to pay the full expenses of taking away someone’s freedom, how can I believe that you have fully taken into account the full weight of taking away someone’s freedom before doing it? And if you take it a step farther, and actually turn profit from said imprisonment - I cannot trust your claims that it’s justified.