Jade01
09-01-2005, 06:23 PM
Paying their way
Jackson County charges daily fee for stay at jail, Independence County may soon follow
By John Worthen ADVERTORIAL EDITOR
It’s not a hotel, bed and breakfast or a hospitality house, but those incarcerated at the Independence County Jail may soon have to pay to stay there. Citing rising medical costs, Independence County Sheriff Keith Bowers said that it’s becoming necessary to charge inmates at his jail.
"We have been looking at medical costs at the jail for quite some time, and they have been increasing over the past few years," Bowers said. "Meth users are the main problem, both dental wise and medical wise. [Meth] destroys your body and you get sicker and sicker. We need some way to help offset these medical costs."
The "pay as you stay" plan, as Bowers nicknamed it, is not a solution to the problem of rising medical costs, but rather a way to help recoup some of the cost the county pays for an inmate’s medical care. Anytime an inmate requires a doctor or hospital visit, the county must pay the bill in full, in addition to transportation and labor costs.
Independence County Judge Bill Hicks cited one particular inmate who accrued more than $20,000 in medical bills as one reason why inmates should pay their own way. Since the county jail budget comes out of the general county fund, Hicks said that cases like this eventually affect all county agencies.
"When you think about a $65 doctor visit, on top of transportation and the fact that a deputy must go with [and stay with] the inmate while they are at the doctor’s office or the hospital, that really adds up," Hicks said. "We don’t feel that charging can hurt anything, and we have hopes that it will help."
The Independence County Quroum Court will vote Sept. 12 to decide if the ordinance to charge inmates should be implemented. Hicks remains confident that it will pass.
"I’ve had comments made to me about how we expect inmates to pay this [fee]," Hicks said. "There are lots of different reasons, but it boils down to the fact that we have to do something other than pour money at this problem. "At the end, tax payers end up paying for it because the county government operates off of tax revenue. We need to try to perform the best service for the funding that we have instead of standing up and asking for more."
Sue Lewis has lived in Independence County her entire life — 57 years — and she, like many residents, believes that it’s time county inmates start paying their own way.
"I think it’s a wonderful idea," said Lewis. "One reason is because of the medical costs the county is charged when an inmate goes to the [emergency room] or to the doctor. I think they should have to pay for that."
Independence County modeled its plan to begin charging inmates after one already in place in Jackson County. On Aug. 8, Jackson County passed an ordinance stating that the daily average housing cost per prisoner is $45, and that a "day" is defined to be immediately upon booking and then each 24-hour period thereafter.
"Charging inmates is nothing new; this law has been on the books since 1999," said Jackson County Sheriff David Lucas. "We aren’t the only ones who are doing it. I modeled ours after Marion County."
The law to which Lucas referred was passed by the Arkansas Legislature in 1999 and states, in part, that, "Every person who may be committed to the common jail of the county by lawful authority for any criminal offense or misdemeanor, if he or she shall be convicted, shall pay the expenses in carrying him or her to jail and also for his or her support from the day of his or her initial incarceration for the whole time he or she remains there."
Lucas said that the number of frivolous medical requests has caused many problems at his county jail over the years. To help curtail the problem, Jackson County now has a nurse who screens inmates before they see a doctor, greatly reducing the number of medical treatments.
"The nurse does a sick call, and she will make sure that the inmates are really sick before we take them to the emergency room or the doctor’s office," Lucas said. "Our biggest expense has been medical related."
Last week, the Jackson County Sheriff ’s Department sent a car to Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., to pick up someone wanted in Jackson County for outstanding warrants. Before the ordinance was passed, county taxpayers would have foot the bill for the trip, which cost an estimated $400, Lucas said. But that bill will now be sent to the inmate.
To collect the money, the county will require inmates to make the payments just as they do for fines. If someone doesn’t pay, Lucas said that it’s possible their wages could be garnished or their car or other valuable possessions could be seized. But these measures aren’t in place yet. "This is all still new for us," Lucas said. We have to work through and figure out exactly how to make people pay [if they decide not to]."
This story was published Thursday, September 01, 2005
Jackson County charges daily fee for stay at jail, Independence County may soon follow
By John Worthen ADVERTORIAL EDITOR
It’s not a hotel, bed and breakfast or a hospitality house, but those incarcerated at the Independence County Jail may soon have to pay to stay there. Citing rising medical costs, Independence County Sheriff Keith Bowers said that it’s becoming necessary to charge inmates at his jail.
"We have been looking at medical costs at the jail for quite some time, and they have been increasing over the past few years," Bowers said. "Meth users are the main problem, both dental wise and medical wise. [Meth] destroys your body and you get sicker and sicker. We need some way to help offset these medical costs."
The "pay as you stay" plan, as Bowers nicknamed it, is not a solution to the problem of rising medical costs, but rather a way to help recoup some of the cost the county pays for an inmate’s medical care. Anytime an inmate requires a doctor or hospital visit, the county must pay the bill in full, in addition to transportation and labor costs.
Independence County Judge Bill Hicks cited one particular inmate who accrued more than $20,000 in medical bills as one reason why inmates should pay their own way. Since the county jail budget comes out of the general county fund, Hicks said that cases like this eventually affect all county agencies.
"When you think about a $65 doctor visit, on top of transportation and the fact that a deputy must go with [and stay with] the inmate while they are at the doctor’s office or the hospital, that really adds up," Hicks said. "We don’t feel that charging can hurt anything, and we have hopes that it will help."
The Independence County Quroum Court will vote Sept. 12 to decide if the ordinance to charge inmates should be implemented. Hicks remains confident that it will pass.
"I’ve had comments made to me about how we expect inmates to pay this [fee]," Hicks said. "There are lots of different reasons, but it boils down to the fact that we have to do something other than pour money at this problem. "At the end, tax payers end up paying for it because the county government operates off of tax revenue. We need to try to perform the best service for the funding that we have instead of standing up and asking for more."
Sue Lewis has lived in Independence County her entire life — 57 years — and she, like many residents, believes that it’s time county inmates start paying their own way.
"I think it’s a wonderful idea," said Lewis. "One reason is because of the medical costs the county is charged when an inmate goes to the [emergency room] or to the doctor. I think they should have to pay for that."
Independence County modeled its plan to begin charging inmates after one already in place in Jackson County. On Aug. 8, Jackson County passed an ordinance stating that the daily average housing cost per prisoner is $45, and that a "day" is defined to be immediately upon booking and then each 24-hour period thereafter.
"Charging inmates is nothing new; this law has been on the books since 1999," said Jackson County Sheriff David Lucas. "We aren’t the only ones who are doing it. I modeled ours after Marion County."
The law to which Lucas referred was passed by the Arkansas Legislature in 1999 and states, in part, that, "Every person who may be committed to the common jail of the county by lawful authority for any criminal offense or misdemeanor, if he or she shall be convicted, shall pay the expenses in carrying him or her to jail and also for his or her support from the day of his or her initial incarceration for the whole time he or she remains there."
Lucas said that the number of frivolous medical requests has caused many problems at his county jail over the years. To help curtail the problem, Jackson County now has a nurse who screens inmates before they see a doctor, greatly reducing the number of medical treatments.
"The nurse does a sick call, and she will make sure that the inmates are really sick before we take them to the emergency room or the doctor’s office," Lucas said. "Our biggest expense has been medical related."
Last week, the Jackson County Sheriff ’s Department sent a car to Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., to pick up someone wanted in Jackson County for outstanding warrants. Before the ordinance was passed, county taxpayers would have foot the bill for the trip, which cost an estimated $400, Lucas said. But that bill will now be sent to the inmate.
To collect the money, the county will require inmates to make the payments just as they do for fines. If someone doesn’t pay, Lucas said that it’s possible their wages could be garnished or their car or other valuable possessions could be seized. But these measures aren’t in place yet. "This is all still new for us," Lucas said. We have to work through and figure out exactly how to make people pay [if they decide not to]."
This story was published Thursday, September 01, 2005