Oregon prisoners must pay for jail stay

[icymist]

Friday, May 21, 2004 · Last updated 8:08 p.m. PT

Oregon prisoners must pay for jail stay

By JULIA SILVERMAN
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER

KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. -- First, Sheriff Tim Evinger eliminated ketchup, salt, coffee and pepper at the jail, a move he says saved an instant $30,000 a year in runaway beverage and condiment costs. Now, Evinger has decided to start charging inmates $60 a day to help cover the costs of their stay behind bars.

"My constituents expect me to use whatever means I have to keep the jail open to its full extent," the sheriff said.

It is an idea that first surfaced about 15 years ago in Alabama, and has since spread rapidly across the country, to about one-third of the county jails in the United States.

In some places, inmates are charged for their stay while they are still behind bars; other places bill them after they get out.

But increasingly, prison researchers dismiss such "pay-to-stay" plans as political grandstanding, citing the difficulty and expense of actually collecting anything from inmates and the ethics of such practices.

"If you go after people who owe you money on room and board or whatever, you will end up paying more money for the bill collector than you can ever collect for these people," said Ken Kerle, editor of American Jails magazine. "Holding inmates is a government responsibility, whether government likes it or not."



Sorry, that link didn't work. I posted a new one below.

[icymist]

1. Link

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apus_story.asp?category=1110&slug=Paying%20for%20Prison

What's next? Debtors prison?

[ConcernedCanuk]

3. Debtor prisons, or the idea of paying a fine with time was eliminated in

.
.
.

Canada, ( well, Ontario anyways) back in the 80's.

I "paid" a $400 dollar fine with 8 days in jail back in 81

- quite the bargain considering I was unemployed(and broke) at the time.

So, the government(taxpayer) fed and housed me, and didn't get the $400.00

Debtor prisons just don't make financial sense.

And, $60 a day adds up when one thinks in terms of years.

So,

the only way for one to be able to pay that kind of "bill",

and have any kind of life - would be what? :shrug:

Crime of course!

(maybe it would be tax deductable?) :freak:

[icymist]

2. Any Constitutional experts here tonight?

<snip>
"Typically, the poorest of the poor are the ones we lock in our jails, and the government is seizing their families' money as well," said Norm Frink, the attorney for the Florida inmates. "The penalty for a criminal act is the loss of one's freedom. You are already paying with your liberty."

Would this not go against the eighth amendment of the Constitution? "Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted." You not only punish the perpetrator twice, here....by liberty and financially, but you also punish their family.

Edit for spelling

[aquart]

4. So if you're too poor, does that mean no jail?

[icymist]

5. No. Great debt.

Apparently, ruining someone with loss of freedom isn't enough these days.

[LeighAnn]

6. If the prisoners are paying, will they forgo federal and state funds?

I mean, doesn't the government pay these counties a per diem per prisoner? If the prisoners are to be paying these costs themselves, don't you think that amount should be deducted from the taxpayer monies allocated to be used for this purpose?

[TheMightyFavog]

7. Yeah, Marinette County (WI) Jail has this.

I think it's $20 per day. They either pay the lot when they get released or work out a payment plan ahead of time. I'm not sure what they do for people who can't pay.