The jails throughout our country cause financial hardship for a local governments and a sense of tension with our communities. People are angry that felons are getting meals and a roof over their heads when law abiding citizens can barely pay their mortgage. There is a way to solve these problems.
I like to call it Pay-To-Stay. Catchy I hope. Here’s the idea, calculate the average cost to incarcerate a person per year (this will vary depending on security level and geography). Next, figure out the amount of years the person is supposed to serve. Charge the incarcerated person the cost it would be to keep them in jail for the amount of time they stay there, thus the Pay-to-Stay Jail Program.
Now let me clarify some details, which will make Pay-To-Stay work. First, allow the incarcerated person to perform community service at minimum wage to work of the cost of their jail time if they so choose. They can also pay this amount with their own money. View full article »
