Jail Bill: Pay To Stay?
Old saying: If you can’t do the time, don’t do the crime.
New saying: If you can’t pay for the time, don’t do the crime.
Straddling the intersection of recession and responsibility, a Missouri county prosecutor wants to start charging local jail inmates $45 a night for room and board, saying “It doesn’t make sense that our citizens should have to pay for the irresponsible behavior of others in these tough economic times”
In cash-strapped municipalities across the US, a pay-to-stay trend has emerged behind bars, shifting costs from taxpayers to the convicted. Salt Lake County Metro Jail is charging inmates $40 for each day spent in lock-up. At the new Springfield, Oregon lockup, convicted prisoners will be dinged $60 a night. And a county jail in Iowa even considered making inmates pay for toilet paper.
“If they are in jail, they should be responsible for their own expenses,” says one law enforcement official. “Once you start looking at things, you’re like ‘Why haven’t we thought of this before?’” A county sheriff says, “When they’ve been found guilty of a crime, they’re ordered to pay restitution back to their victims. Why shouldn’t they pay restitution back to the taxpayers?”
Critics of such plans warn that saddling inmates with big bills for jail housing could backfire. “Many of these individuals have a difficult time re-entering society anyway,” one said. “We don’t want them so burdened with debt that any legitimate attempt at re-entry is impossible, and they turn back to crime to pay the fees you just imposed on them.”
“Really,” said a law professor, “it’s a poor person’s tax.”
Tell us what you think: Should people convicted of a crime be forced to pay the costs of their jail stay? If there was no recession, should they pay? Do we as taxpayers have a responsibility to cover the costs of running our jails?
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Paying to Stay
Why should defedants have to pay for staying in a place they didn’t ask to be? I am a mother and a grandmother and have never been in trouble nor have I been in jail. As a matter of fact, I have a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal justice and I am currently working on my Masters Degree in the Science of Criminal Justice. I had previously worked for the Department of Corrections in Lagrange, Kentucky. I unforunately was living in the wrong place with prejudice neighbors. My grandson is biracial. They waited until I was moving and they called my grandson over their, my granddaughter was already over thier playing, about ten minutes later my granddaughter came over and ask where jamie was, I told her he was supposed to be over there with her.
The kids came out and began calling for him (Jamie), They tried to tell me he was over behind the house but I knew better. I went up the road that came to a dead end and my daughter-in-law went in the house looking for him. Finally I asked the kids from next door If jamie was in there house because they were the ones who called him over, they said no but I didn’t believe them.
All this took place in approximately ten minutes. In those minutes the county sheffiffs’ deputies arrived. The deputies went on past me to the neighbors and brought him back to me. They got out and right away starting accusing me of neglecting my grandson. I tried to explain what happed to him and he got in my face and told me if I said another word I would be arrested so again I tried to tell him my side of the story but he arrested me for it and I have never in my life seen a county official be so ignorant of the law and act so unprofessionally. I was treated like I had murdered someone and I hadn’t done anything. The jail employees treated me badly until they found out by taking fingerprints that I just might not be a criminal. I had been in there three days when the correction officer came and escorted me down stairs I had to sign paper one of them was I pay 25$ for every day I stayed their “you got to be kidding, why?” she said most of them don’t pay anyway, so I signed but I said, “hell will freeze over before I pay to stay at a place where I shouldn’t be. To make a long story short, I had to pay 1500$ for an attorney and they dismissed the charges but I still have that mis understand on my record and for these reasons I don’t believe inmates should have to pay.
Melva Moore | 4 months ago
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laJJkJD
FAIL
LALLALALALLA | 4 months ago
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MOM
ABSOLUTELY NOT. OUR GOVERNMENT HAS TAKEN THE GREAT AMERICAN WORKFORCE AND CREATED ALL THE IDLE HANDS IN SOCIETY. CHANGE OUR EDUCATION PROGRAM BRING OUR JOBS BACK AND THINGS WILL BE MUCH BETTER.
HOW IS A PRISONER GOING TO PAY WITHOUT A JOB. I GUESS OUR WHOLE COUNTRY WOULD BE CONSIDERED ZERO TOLERANCE…WAY TO GO BIG BROTHER…HE IS WATCHING YOU TOO!
NAOMI DAUGHERTY | 3 months, 4 weeks ago
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Bull to the Justice today!!!!!!!!
If a man lost his job should he go to jail and have to pay for being there. NNNNOOOOOOOOOOO. Slavery is a crime ! ?Who has the rite to take some ones freedom from them for things not of there doing? Fathers who try to pay support for their child or children are being put in jail for just getting layed off from work and unable to find work to pay all their support payment. They work as work comes in and pay monies out as fast as it comes in. on temperary work. Thats not good enuf for the justice system. They rather place a man in jail and take every thing from him and nock him down so far that the only way for him is a life of crime. How is it that a man who wants to pay support and has paid more then was ordered in the past, turn out to get laed off from work and the courts turn around and increase payments and take away his license from him to stop him from going to interviews and temperary work till he finds a job. Then place him into a down ward fall to make him fale. And throw him in jail over not finding a job do to todays difficalty’s? How is that justice?!!!!! It is slavery to me how about you? The justice system will put you in jail for the beniffit of the justice system not the child! They make you work and charge alot of money to their people and give penny’s to the one they inslaved to pay even less support that is ordered and never catch up in support payments to keep that man inslaved. At the same time the state gives alot of monies to the justice system for that person each day he is in there. On top of chargeing for the slave labor. And they do not supply a lawyer as they do some one who killed some one. And when a person is in jail forget it there is no way for that person to stand up and save himself. All I see is our counrty of so called ?freedom? is a thing of dreams!!!! Thats it you only can have freedom in you dreams! Every one talks of the land of the free. The USA Pays more to bring it down then build it up. This country is better to other country’s then it is for its self? It is A sad world in this country these day’s.
Paul Marshall | 3 months, 3 weeks ago
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Yes they should pay & not get so many free program
I believe that they should have to pay to stay in one way or the other make them all work there are so many people in jail that should be made to do something, work at the hosp,the old folks home or do all kinds of services for the county or for people that need help at there homes or on their cars that can’t afford it.
I know people (even my husband) that has done time in pirson & tells me that they can get away with so much, with just yelling about their rights well what about our rights ? I can’t get free medical,schooling cable, 3 hot meals& a warm bed for free unless I become a criminal, & that just not right.
And as far as rehabilatation I have been told more then once there is none in prison if you are going to claim this why not see to it??
Penny Hall | 3 months, 2 weeks ago
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I was born in the inner city
I was born & raised in the inner city I can read & write & have never been to prison? I get so tired of hearing that they could have stayed in school or found other ways to make money like I did I’ve never sold drugs just had to work harder then some other people & no I didn’t finish high school my mother didn’t care we didn’t have clean clothes or even food ever day unless we went to school to eat so to me to many people use that of why they had to become a drug dealer or just becoem a criminal.
Penny Hall | 3 months, 2 weeks ago
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I agree
I believe that prisoners should pay for part of their fees while they are in prison. We shouldnt make them pay for everything because when they get out they should be able to start over. Without money this obviously cannot be done.
Angel Seams | 3 months, 1 week ago
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Crimes
Also if the prisoners dont have money when they get out it might cause them to commit more crimes to get the money that they need.
Angel Seams | 3 months, 1 week ago
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Mrs.
I think the hav pay for be in
SueAnn Carson | 3 months ago
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TRUST
i am glad to hear all of you folks that have it made and never went to jail for suspended licence because your wife cheated on you and you devorced her and you worked hard to pay your child support but it wasnt enough and they suspended your licence and you get arrested ,and then pay more to a government that is hurting for cash just like you!!! our jobs are gone if you havent noticed yet, they all went to china and there not coming back without a fight!!!! now what will your government do with the masses of people without work? once a man told me it doesnt cost anything to think, so think think real hard because , time is out ,and the ship is going down and everyones grabing a handrail , if your smart you will get in the right church and pray!!!!!!!!!!!!!
rodger heagy | 3 months ago
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