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Wadena jail to start charging inmates $20 per day

Associated Press


WADENA, Minn. - Starting next year, inmates at the Wadena County Jail will be charged $20 for every day they're housed in the jail. They'll also be responsible for any medical expenses they incur.

Wadena County Sheriff Mike Carr says the goal is to deter people who periodically land themselves in jail so they can take advantage of free services.

He says there are some people who never go to a doctor or dentist, but as soon as they get to jail they get a toothache.

The jail program is called "Pay to Stay." It starts in January. It will rely on a collection agency to bill the inmates.

Carr says the message is, if you "can't pay for the time, don't do the crime."

Wadena is in central Minnesota, about 50 miles east of Fergus Falls.

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BONNIE

that is interesting I THINK many county jails are
doing the same thing

dgrimm60

I do not expect the courts to uphold that rule. That is all well and good for people who go to jail to get free services. But there will always be those who do not or who cannot ever afford to pay. What do you do if they do not pay. Send them to jail. There is a reason why they go to jail to get those services. They cannot afford basic care. Billing them for it is a waste of postage. I doubt they will collect much if anything.

The state or federal government is pretty good at collecting.
I would expect that they would garnish wages. Even if only small amounts per month.
Personally I think they should do that within reason to all on the government dole. For those that are physically and mentally impaired they need help.
If they are not impaired they should be given a time limit for temporary help.After that they should expect to repay,even if it is 5.00 a month

I wonder, too, if that will hold up in court. It's a good idea, though how do you determine whether or not someone did something to get into jail for purely beneficial reasons, i.e., to get medical/dental service for free? And like CyberGuy said, what do you do if the person cannot afford to pay the basic $20/day charge?

I have heard other states have done same. I don't think the intent is free medical services so they make sure they go to jail.
Anyone being put in jail pays for "their" services.If they decide on some medical or dental after being placed they will pay.

HEY ALL

I NOW THAT there are counties in TENNESSEE that
are doing this....i am not sure how much they
are charging????

dgrimm60

Seems like this should then be national and not just State or County mandated. An interesting concept that *must* be working if various States/Counties are doing it with no problems being encountered.

This is probably a dead topic, but I thought that I'd put my 2¢ in in case someone is reading...

I work at a jail in Washington state and the way that we do it when an inmate owes us for medical treatment, we deduct it from any deposits made to their account. The inmate is allowed to deposit money with us so that they can purchase stuff off of commissary which makes us a lot of money. However, if they owe us money, we take a percentage of any deposits. This debt rolls over to each subsequent stay until it is paid off.

Tom

Now that is criminal in itself! They should put everyone in prison who voted for such a thing--and keep them there! This country is going to heck in a handbasket very fast!

I think it's a great idea! Too many people are sponging off of the system.

This makes a lot of sense Tom.

pk

I agree olger, especially prisoners, who we support. Maybe they should take a percentage of the governments pay and put it into the prison system! :)

pk

THJOHNSTON

WELL thank you for your insight about your
experience with your work at a jail

dgrimm60

some day soon you will be spending time in prison--that is IF you refuse to take the 'Mark'. I hope you enjoy the thought!

I have been there and done that and I will tell you that many who are locked up are political prisoners, those who have taken a stand for the constitution and against government corruption. I have seen it on both sides and the prisons are run like a business--the more prisoners, the more money they get and the more slave labor they have. We do NOT have any constitution any more and our court and judicial system is a joke. It is no wonder the judges wear black robes--you can't see all of the evil there is that goes on behind the scene.

Sure, there are evil people, but to what degree? Like on another thread--the cops now days are just as evil as their victims (those they arrest). If you don't understand what I am saying, then you have not been there.

Sure, drugs and alcohol are just crutches for people who feel there is no hope in this world. What we need to be doing is replacing these crutches with solid factual spiritual food, the same that Jesus offered. Ok, I will now step down off of the soapbox.

One issue has nothing to do with the other


Most in jail in the US are not political prisoners or those taken a stand for the constitution.
They belong right where they are. They are thieves,they are those in for assualting others,especially a spouse, harming children,drunk driving after revocation of license etc.
Why should the tax payer foot the bill for all?


I am assuming that you can provide data on corrupt policeman being as evil as those they arrest. There are corrupt PO but they are in the minority. Many PO have given their lives to protect the ordinary citizen.


Good luck in reaching those that use this as a crutch and an excuse for what they do.Jesus never offered a free ride to criminals,those bent on breaking the law and taking from others.
He offered forgiveness and redemption but not freedom from the consequences of their actions.
Restitution is not a bad thing for anyone. If it has to come at a small amount each month so be it.
When they find themselves not only in jail but paying for their bed and board it might make more of a impact

Bonnie, if it took a constitutional amendment to make it unlawful to make and sell alcohol, and then another constitutional amendment to change it, then please tell me where the constitutional amendment is that makes it a crime to 'do drugs'? Please, I am waiting! What happened is that the Executive division broke the constitution by saying they had the power to make the laws. That in itself was unlawful and they should have been placed in prison!

I have been a police officer, still have a son-in-law who is one (LA PD) and have degrees in Criminal Justice and the Law. I personally attempted to prove that 'THEY' violated the constitution and for that they gave me a 'prison' vacation. All I ever did was to make a citizens arrest and the ONLY defense for 'them' was to indict me (6 months later) and then the court refused to allow ANY (ZERO) defense, (more violations of the constitution).

So I DO know what I am talking about. I was a whistle blower on the PD and guess what? When you do this you can NO longer work for them because they ALL are afraid you will tell about what they do ALL the time! YES, Police Officers today are nothing but Government exempt criminals! Show me one that isn't?

I can guess whistle blowers of all stripes can have a hard time of it.
I would doubt however that all are afraid "you will tell about what they do all the time"
You are making some pretty broad statements.
As for "police officers being government exempt criminals" you have provided nothing that indicates any facts.
You show me all the PO that are government criminals. I do not believe you or believe most PO are.
If I found myself needing protection or help it would not be those of your ilk I called.

Sorry Bonnie, I should have been more accurate with what I wrote, and it is my opinion only. I would offer for proof, that if you followed a police officer, both on duty and off, around 24-7, that you would soon find a law that he broke.

There is no difference in my book from a thief who steals from you who claims to be a thief and a jack-booted thug who steals from you claiming that you violated some law and therefore forces you hand over YOUR possessions and give them to others.

They seemed to have that same sort of problem in the day of Jesus, didn't they? Matthew WAS a tax collector, but stopped. Another tax collector gave what he stole, back when Jesus came into his life.

The ONLY reason for income tax is for control! This makes everyone of us a slave--period! (ooops, did I say that?)

Yes Bonnie, and most will take the Mark of the Beast too because of Romans 13.

If have have not found anyone who was a victim of the jack-booted thugs, then you have not been to or seen the long line of people waiting to pay their traffic fines.

Tell me, what is IT about using or talking on a cell phone that is criminal? Have not truckers been doing this for years using their CB radio? This is only part of the insane 'crimes' that have placed good people in our overcrowded jails!

Like popular radio hosts Jon and Ken said last week said, "They ought to make it against the law to pass insane laws!"

And if you think you are living right now in 'freedom' with your gun and your money, then I have real sad news for you! You are in dreamland!

Anyone got any ideas why the US has by far the highest incarceration rate of any Western democracy? Four times the international average? Could it be precisely that imprisonment is big business, with its own lobbyists?

Could it be because we have criminals in jail instead of running free?

according to the correctional officers i know who work at the prison in our town, thats absolutely correct!!

i wasnt too happy with the lady merging onto the freeway with a cell stuck to her ear and didnt even look to see if someone was beside her or too close. nor looked back to see if she had missed hitting anyone.

im just thankful there wasnt a lot of traffic so that i was able to move over-without having a chance to check if there was anyone around me.

perhaps most cell users are responsible, but the irresponsible ones have caused too many accidents, like a friend of mine run into a fence, totaling her car and laid her up for a while with a hurt knee, cause the guy was distracted on his cell.

according to the correctional officers i know who work at the prison in our town, thats absolutely correct!!

[/quote]

Wouldn't prison lobbyists be working for the employee's benefit instead of trying to somehow gain more prisoners?

I doubt that "big business" had much to do with drunk driving after revocation,with promoting more theft to gain more "business",for a spouse to beat up the other spouse,child abuse etc.That is pretty much weekly in our local paper

its not about drunk driving or driving while your head is stuck in a dark hole--it is about those of us who do have a moral code to keep, but since it is a big business, all they want is numbers, just like hospitals want all their beds filled.

When I was a cop, they (the city I worked for, mandated that we write our quota of tickets so we could get paid. I also remember how they cooked the books to make it look like we had more crimes and needed more officers. I am sick and tired of politics, not only in jails, prisons, courts, PDs, but also in religion. Its a numbers game--and when they charge some for being kidnapped by the state, that is down right aweful! It is truly sad!

talking on a cell phone while driving is illegal in Oregon now, unless it's hands-free

As many of the fines,revocations,jail time stems from drunk driving,yes,it is about drunk driving.
You claimed it is about political prisoners.Wish you could back up a few.


Again a factual account of the other side of the story would be nice. I do not believe the claim your paycheck was dependent on the number of tickets you wrote. If in fact that were the case a jack booted thug would never have let me go with a warning to slow down.This has happened numerous times. I was speeding breaking the law and no ticket. Maybe the various cops didn't need a paycheck that week.





It would be a odd area that had to cook books to show enough crime.




I guess you have to show me those being kidnapped by the state.Not exactly sure how that would come about