New Hampshire is ending its practice of charging inmates and former inmates for the cost of their incarceration.

Republican Gov. Chris Sununu signed a bill last week repealing a 1996 law that allowed the state to seek such payments, which have amounted to an average of $102,000 per year for all inmates in recent years.

The change takes effect in September and is not retroactive. But the state recently ended its efforts to collect $119,000 from a former inmate who had challenged the law in court. Eric Cable, who served four years for negligent homicide, argued he was billed in retaliation for suing the state for alleged medical malpractice. The American Civil Liberties Union, which had assisted Cable, said both sides have agreed to drop their lawsuits.

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