NCJ Number
141497
Journal
Large Jail Network Bulletin Dated: (Summer 1992) Pages: 2-3
Date Published
1992
Length
2 pages
Annotation
The Macomb County (Mich.) Jail Reimbursement Program was implemented to seek reimbursement from prisoners to defray the high costs of operating the county jail.
Abstract
The program operates under a 1984 Michigan law that allows counties to collect fees of up to $30 per day, or actual per diem costs, from inmates during the entire period of their incarceration. During the first 7 years of the Macomb County program, the county has collected more than $2 million from prisoners to partially pay back county taxpayers for incarceration costs. These costs amounted to nearly 11 percent of the county's total operating budget in 1991. The reimbursements cover part of room and board expenses. The costs of medical and dental treatment and other services are also billed to offenders or their medical insurers, but inmates are never denied health care services because of an inability to pay. To support collections, the county spends approximately $76,000 to collect $274,436 annually. The funding supports a coordinator, a part-time secretary, computerized billing, and mailing costs. Inmates are billed on a sliding scale at 30, 60, and 90 days after release. For some offenders, the county pursues legal collection alternatives that include garnishments, writs of execution, and collection agencies. The county's program is the State's largest and most successful.