By C1 Staff
KIOWA, Colo. – No more free lunches at the Elbert County Jail in Colorado.
The Denver Channel reports that Sheriff Shayne Heap is starting a ‘you stay, you pay’ program at the jail, which requires offenders to pay $14.65 a day.
Actual housing of an inmate is 4.5 times higher, but the courts have ruled on an appropriate daily fee. Inmates can appeal the cost or argue they are too poor to pay it, allowing a judge to decide.
The ACLU disagreed with the policy.
“The sheriff’s ‘pay to stay’ policy will bring in so little money that it is unlikely to help the sheriff’s budget, and it will only make it harder for persons who are already struggling with poverty to make a successful re-entry,” said Legal Director Mark Silverstein.
“The way to reduce the amount the public spends on jails is to reform bail policies, revise sentencing practices, and reserve incarceration for persons who actually pose a danger to public safety.”
Heap said it was unclear how much money the policy would bring in, but that every little bit helps.
The county is one of several that now impose a ‘pay to stay’ program.
Summit County has had one in place for more than a decade, but Undersheriff Derek Woodman says the recovery rate has been terrible.