Pay To Stay Jail Programs Essay

The United States is 5% of the worlds population but is responsible for housing 25% of the world’s prisoners, which is more than any country. This statistic equates to approximately 2.4 million individuals that are incarcerated at any given time. If the jail population was a city, it would be the fourth largest in America. The financial responsibility to house inmates falls upon the taxpayers in America. In some counties around the United States, prisoners have to pay a daily rate to offset correctional rates, otherwise known as pay to stay jails. Traditional jails and pay to stay jail programs are both in place to rehabilitate citizens found guilty of breaking the law, but traditional prisons may be the best route when thinking of an inmate’s future and when considering fairness. To begin with, the American penal system intent is to shape people into better individuals, but we do so at an astounding cost. The national average to house a single inmate is approximately $40,000. These costs include health care, food, …show more content…
However, in a pay to stay jail, inmates are responsible for paying a daily rate associated with their incarceration. These rates can range from $62 up to $155 per day depending on an inmate’s geographic location. Undoubtedly, this will help ease the economic burden for housing an inmate; however, some scholars argue that it violates ones eighth amendment right which prohibits the government from imposing excessive fines and bail. It is feared that by imposing a daily rate on some inmates they may already be poor prior to arriving to jail, that they will not be able to afford the daily rate. If one fails to pay, they will be thrown back in jail. Consequently, this will cost the taxpayers even more money and will also prohibit the inmate from paying restitution and their probation