Jail inmates may face rent

SPANISH FORK — Inmates spending time in the Utah County Jail for misdemeanor crimes may soon have to pay $10 a day to stay in the cement quarters.

"If you think about it, it's not really a lot in comparison to how much it costs the taxpayers per day, which is $61," said Utah County Sheriff's Lt. Dennis Harris. "By charging (inmates) $10 a day, at least the taxpayers are recouping a little bit of money back."

There are 656 inmates packed into the Utah County Jail, and 141 of them are there on misdemeanor charges, Harris said. Misdemeanors include crimes such as simple assault, intoxication and possession of a controlled substance.

Utah County Sheriff James Tracy has signed off on a "Pay to Stay" concept at the county jail.

The sheriff's office aims to have the program ready for implementation by mid-summer. Under the current plan, Harris said, each night spent on a jail cot and each day of jail cuisine will cost the misdemeanor inmate $10.

The money will flow back to county coffers to help cover the increasing costs of the jail with its growing population.

But $10 is quite a bargain compared to Cache County Jail's fee of $43 a day for inmates.

The "Pay to Stay" program was started in 2003 after the Utah Legislature approved a law allowing county jails to charge inmates in custody.

"The public have mixed feelings ... that we should not charge people to be incarcerated," said acting jail commander Lt. Brian Locke of the Cache County Sheriff's Department. "But I don't think it's fair to the taxpayers (if) we don't do that. Some of these people can pay for their incarceration ... to help offset the costs."

Since 2003, Cache County has added $141,000 to the general fund based on ex-inmate payments, said Sharon Nielson, the Cache County Attorney's legal assistant.

Not every ex-inmate pays, and some inmates drop off the radar screen once they leave jail, but the majority are good about setting up payment plans with Nielson.

"I guess the people in the state of Utah are tired of paying for people's wrong choices," Nielson says, quoting her answer to the ex-inmates when they question the fines.

However, inmates who spent their time working in the Cache County Jail kitchen, laundry or in other jail-approved positions can have those daily fees waived, Nielson said. She's flexible in working with individuals who show consistency in their payments and will often allow discounts.

Officials at the Utah County Jail are still working out logistics with the in-the-works program, including what to do if individuals don't pay their fines or if the inmate is indigent and cannot pay. The main objective, however, is to create a sense of responsibility in the inmates.

"Realistically, the citizens are having to pay for the crimes that these guys commit," Harris said. "It's about time that they start paying for some of (that) themselves."

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