Court in Florida OKs Charging Jail Inmates for Meals

A Florida county jail will be able to keep charging its inmates a dollar for every meal they eat behind bars, thanks to a court ruling that the local sheriff called “a great victory for taxpayers.”

A state appeals court upheld a program created by Marion County Sheriff Ken Ergle to charge prisoners for their meals and for any medical care.

Prisoners at the 1,300-bed facility are charged for their keep even if they are held before trial and found innocent of any crime.

“If you’re in jail, it’s because you went in the initial stages of due process and a judge found there was reason to hold you,” Ergle said. “Even if you were found innocent, you were still lawfully and legally detained.”

Steve Ingley, executive director of the American Jail Assn., said Ergle’s jail was one of the first in the United States to charge prisoners for meals. He said it would not surprise him if more followed Marion County’s lead.

In its ruling, issued Aug. 22, the court said inmates are entitled to nutritious meals and adequate medical care, but taxpayers are not obligated to foot the bill.

Ergle said he collects by seizing the money from any cash that inmates bring with them when incarcerated. He said he has collected about $250,000 since he began the program two years ago.