Saturday, January 15, 2000
Butler Co. now billing inmates
BY STEVE KEMME
The Cincinnati Enquirer
HAMILTON — Butler County jail inmates no longer get a free room.
Sheriff Harold Don Gabbard began his pay-to-stay program this week, charging inmates $30 for their booking at the Butler County Jail or Resolutions, the county's minimum-security jail.
Through Thursday, the county had taken in $880 in fees out of $2,000 charged, a 44 percent collection rate, said Capt. Norman Lewis, jail warden.
“Eventually, we'll charge them per day,” he said.
Sheriff Gabbard initiated the fee program so the county can recover some of the costs of housing inmates.
In two to three months, inmates will be charged for each day they stay in the jail based on a sliding-scale fee of $6 to $60 per day, Capt. Lewis said.
The daily fee will depend on the inmate's ability to pay, he said.
Capt. Lewis said he expects the pay-to-stay program to net about $200,000 this year.
Before the jail can begin charging the daily fees, the sheriff's department must put the computer support in place, he said.
Under Ohio law, the sheriff's department can take legal steps to collect money from inmates. The sheriff can seize any of the inmates' property except real estate, Capt. Lewis said.
The sheriff also could ask the court to place liens against the inmates' property for bills owed, he said.
The Hamilton County Sheriff's Department also charges inmates a fee at the time of booking.
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