Washington County to charge inmates

Estimated read time: Less than a minute

This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.

HURRICANE, Utah (AP) -- Inmates at Washington County's jail will soon be picking up some of the tab for staying there.

The Purgatory Jail is starting a pay-to-stay program, charging inmates $45 for each day they are held there.

Jail officials say it's a way to offset costs and an incentive for inmates to avoid coming back.

Inmates can cut their tab through several discounts. There's a 10 percent discount if they aren't disciplined during their stay. Inmates who go through educational programs get another 10 percent cut and a discount up to 50 percent for those who pay their tab in full when they're released.

The fee begins July 15.