mariefel35
May 5th, 2007, 07:58 PM
By Valerie S. Johnson
It’s no picnic to be incarcerated, but what if you could pay the rate of a cheap motel and do your time in cleaner, safer conditions? If you’ve been convicted of a relatively minor offense in California, it may be an option if the court and jail administrators approve your stay.
About a dozen correctional facilities in California offer jail cells where, for a rate ranging from $75 - $127 per night, you get a door instead of bars, iPod and computer privileges, and physical distance from the inmates who either can’t afford the tariff or were convicted of violent offenses. Some of the paying prisoners – referred to as “clients” – are permitted to work during the day and spend their nights at Hotel Jail. They are strip searched on reentry to ensure they are not smuggling in contraband for the nonpaying guests.
The typical client is a man in his late 30s who is doing 30-60 days for drunk driving. Is it fair that someone can buy better accommodations in jail purely because they have money?
google_ad_client = "pub-8949118578199171";google_ad_width = 728;google_ad_height = 90;google_ad_format = "728x90_as";google_ad_channel ="";google_color_border = "EAEAEA";google_color_bg = "EAEAEA";google_color_link = "4271B5";google_color_url = "99CC66";google_color_text = "000000";
It’s no picnic to be incarcerated, but what if you could pay the rate of a cheap motel and do your time in cleaner, safer conditions? If you’ve been convicted of a relatively minor offense in California, it may be an option if the court and jail administrators approve your stay.
About a dozen correctional facilities in California offer jail cells where, for a rate ranging from $75 - $127 per night, you get a door instead of bars, iPod and computer privileges, and physical distance from the inmates who either can’t afford the tariff or were convicted of violent offenses. Some of the paying prisoners – referred to as “clients” – are permitted to work during the day and spend their nights at Hotel Jail. They are strip searched on reentry to ensure they are not smuggling in contraband for the nonpaying guests.
The typical client is a man in his late 30s who is doing 30-60 days for drunk driving. Is it fair that someone can buy better accommodations in jail purely because they have money?
google_ad_client = "pub-8949118578199171";google_ad_width = 728;google_ad_height = 90;google_ad_format = "728x90_as";google_ad_channel ="";google_color_border = "EAEAEA";google_color_bg = "EAEAEA";google_color_link = "4271B5";google_color_url = "99CC66";google_color_text = "000000";