Don't let Utah's jails evolve into discount motel

If you are a criminal, paying your debt to society is beginning to take a more literal meaning. In Utah County, for instance, the sheriff has instituted a policy of charging people convicted of misdemeanors $10 a day to stay at the county jail.

This won't apply to the poorest of the poor, but everyone else will get a bill when they check out, gratuities not included.

Considering the average stay is about 64 days, well, you do the math. If you don't have the cash on hand (my guess is they won't accept checks), a payment plan will be worked out. A press release on the county's Web site said people who fail to pay may be referred to a collection agency.

Those of you who don't commit crimes may not know this, but this isn't a new idea. State lawmakers approved such things four years ago. Cache County's jail has been charging $43 per day ever since. So far, $141,000 has been added to the county's general fund.

I'm trying to decide where this falls on the get-tough-on-crime scale. In a state where the population is booming, it makes sense to find creative ways to defray the cost of building more jails. It also could provide an interesting experiment in human behavior. Will jailers have fewer behavioral problems with prisoners because they have to pay? For that matter, will criminals be more likely to go straight because they simply can't afford a return to the pokey?

One thing I know for absolute certain, however, is that Utah's experiment with pay-to-stay prisons must never go down the road California has taken.

At some city jails there, inmates can pay for an upgrade. Major news outlets, including the New York Times and NPR, recently provided details. For instance, at the Fullerton jail you can pay $100 for the first two days and $75 a day thereafter, which gives you the privilege of bringing a cell phone, something to read, and getting a pillow and blanket and some food deliveries (I'll bet local pizza delivery guys are grateful for that). You'll get your own TV and VCR, as well as a reading lamp.

If you're in the Montebello jail, an extra $75 a day (plus a one-time $100 application fee) allows you to bring your iPod.

It's not exactly the Hilton, but I think I've stayed at discount motels that are somewhat comparable.

California's system came into focus recently because former Orange County Assistant Sheriff George Jaramillo was booked into jail on a variety of charges, including the misuse of public funds. He decided to pay for nicer digs, and some people worried he would be allowed to bring his laptop, considering he had used a computer to commit some of his crimes.