"PROPOSALS WOULD MAKE INMATES PAY RENT"

2/13/06--From the Eagle Tribune (reprinted with permission)

by Edward Mason

Staff Writer 

In the 1970s, TV detective Tony Baretta always scolded his captures with these words, "Don't do the crime if you can't do the time."

Now, two North of Boston lawmakers have their own Baretta-like warning for the state's would-be criminals — "Don't do the crime if you can't pay the rent."

State Rep. Bradley H. Jones Jr. and Sen. Bruce E. Tarr have bills on Beacon Hill that would charge rent to all state and county prisoners. Jones, R-North Reading, wants $5 a day in rent while Tarr wants $2 a day.

"People who are incarcerated should be aware they're incurring tremendous cost," said Tarr, a Republican from Gloucester. "It is an important part of their debt to society that they need awareness of the cost of incarceration."

The lawmakers acknowledge the rent taken in will not cover the cost of housing inmates. A state prisoner's care costs about $43,000 a year. An inmate at Essex County's jail in Middleton costs an average of $27,179 a year to house.

Under Jones' bill, a state inmate's rent bill for the year would be $1,825. Under Tarr's bill, the rent would be $730, and the rent would be due the day the inmate is released from incarceration.

James Pingeon is litigation director for the Massachusetts Correctional Legal Services Inc. in Boston, a prisoner advocacy group that opposes making inmates pay for their room and board. The group sued successfully in 2004 to block the Bristol County sheriff from collecting room and board from prisoners.

Pingeon said Jones' and Tarr's plans would penalize families for their relatives' crimes.

"If prisoners were to be given jobs and some portion of their salaries were taken, that would be one thing," Pingeon said. "But prisoners don't have jobs. Certainly not paying jobs."

But inmates do have some income. State inmates are paid $1 to $2 a day for laundry and maintenance jobs inside the prison. If they are in pre-release work programs, the state takes 15 percent of their earnings, said Diane Wiffin, director of public relations for the state Department of Correction.

Essex County prisoners don't make money unless they are in pre-release programs, but those programs can pay $8 to $12 an hour.

For the most part, prisoners' money usually comes from family and is placed in what is called a "canteen fund." The canteen fund allows prisoners to buy toothpaste, deodorant and extra food.

Essex County Sheriff Frank Cousins charges Essex County's approximately 1,600 prisoners a $30 processing fee when they enter an Essex County facility. They have a $5 co-pay for most health care and prescription drugs. And they pay $5 for a haircut.

Cousins, a Republican from Newburyport and former legislator, said paying for what they get while incarcerated — including room and board — makes prisoners feel like they are paying their fair share.

"I think it's a good idea," Cousins said. "Anything that makes them feel better about themselves and more like normal citizens."

Both Jones and Tarr dismissed concerns that they would create a financial burden on a prisoner or his family. They said the Department of Correction would determine whether an inmate could afford to pay room and board. Jones would set up a sliding scale based on ability to pay.

Tarr's bill would allow prisoners to set up a payment plan when they are released. If a prisoner can't pay while he was incarcerated, it wouldn't hurt his chances for release.

Tarr and Jones said their proposals aren't so much about recouping some of the enormous cost of housing criminals, but about reminding criminals they have responsibilities.

"We're striving to prepare them for re-entry into society," Tarr said. "An important part of that is sharing the cost they incurred."

Jones said his $5-per-day fee doesn't sound like a lot of money, but it sends a message.

"If someone committed a crime and you have the means, you should bear some of the cost of your incarceration," Jones said.

If approved, Massachusetts would become the 16th state to allow prisoners to be charged a daily fee for their incarceration.

Rent for inmates?

Here is what inmates would pay if a bill by either Tarr or Jones was approved. The charge gives the cost for state and county inmates and the rent due after serving a five-year jail sentence:

State inmate cost County inmate cost At $5 a day At $2 a day

$215,000 135,895 $9,125 $3,650