Utah County Jail to Charge Inmates for Their Stay; Discounts Available
Saturday, June 28, 2008
HURRICANE, Utah — Inmates at Washington County's jail will soon be picking up some of the tab for staying there.
The Purgatory Jail is starting a pay-to-stay program, charging inmates $45 for each day they are held there.
Jail officials say it's a way to offset costs and an incentive for inmates to avoid coming back.
Inmates can cut their tab through several discounts. There's a 10 percent discount if they aren't disciplined during their stay. Inmates who go through educational programs get another 10 percent cut and a discount up to 50 percent for those who pay their tab in full when they're released.
The fee begins July 15.
So, what do you think of this? There have been complaints for as long as I can remember about the costs of housing, feeding, providing health care, etc. for prisoners. $45 a day is not all that much if you consider how much it costs a normal person for housing and food. However, in the long run, it will offset the costs of caring for prisoners quite a bit. My question is how they are going to enforce this? If the prisoner cannot pay, will they be sued for non-payment? Will it go on their credit record? I think that the concept for this program is great, but I'm wondering how it's all going to play out. What do yall think?
As you can probably tell, I'm catching up on some of my reading of your posts. Sorry that I don't do it every day, but I really do love reading your blog! :)
ReplyDeleteI think that the concept is a great one, but can they earn money while in prison? How are they going to pay for it and what will be the consequences for non-payment? Will it be a burden to the family members who may actually be the ones paying for it? I think it would be great if they could actually earn money themselves and be required to pay it either: 1) monthly, 2) quarterly or 3) when they are released. If they do not pay, then I think they ought to have to stay in prison with harder labor until it is paid including the days they have to stay in because they didn't pay at their original release date. Just my thoughts on the matter.