One of the most-watched bills approved by Missouri lawmakers this year put the state back in control of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department.

The police takeover provisions made the bill one of the most controversial of the session, and sparked a lawsuit, set for trial Nov. 5. But tucked inside, and noticed only by those watching closely, the bill also includes bipartisan provisions ending the practice of seizing assets from incarcerated people that are unrelated to their crimes.

Known as the Missouri Incarceration Reimbursement Act, the law was passed in 1988, when any idea intended to make life harder for criminals received a favorable hearing. Now, the law is viewed as a violation of property rights and a barrier to a law-abiding life.

“We need to pay our debts to society,” s

See Full Page