News (Media Awareness Project) - US IA: Corrections Board Approves Prisoner Surtax |
| Title: | US IA: Corrections Board Approves Prisoner Surtax |
| Published On: | 1999-02-06 |
| Source: | Des Moines Register (IA) |
| Fetched On: | 2008-09-06 14:03:55 |
CORRECTIONS BOARD APPROVES PRISONER SURTAX
Inmates will pay an extra 6 percent for candy, cigarettes and other items to
help with their keep.
Iowa inmates will pay a 6 percent surtax on cigarettes, candy, shampoo and
other items to help pay part of their keep under plans approved Friday by
the Iowa Board of Corrections.
Many prisoners in the past had paid $5 a month for the so-called
"incarceration fee." But Iowa Corrections Director W.L. "Kip" Kautzky said
some inmates had avoided payments by making sure their prison accounts had a
very low balance.
The new approach is more equitable because every inmate makes purchases from
prison stores, Kautzky said.
The 6 percent surtax should generate $300,000 to $310,000 annually, about
the same as the $5 per month payment, officials said. However, plans are
being made for centralized purchasing of retail products for all of Iowa's
prisons, and the savings will be passed on to inmates. That should help
offset the effect of the surtax, Kautzky said.
Deputy Corrections Director John Baldwin said collection of the 6 percent
surtax began in November, but the board's action Friday approves it as a
state administrative rule.
On other matters, Kautzky told the the state panel:
* A new, 100-bed "special needs" prison unit for women will open this month
at Mount Pleasant. The inmates, who have problems such as mental illness,
mental retardation or social inadequacy, will be transferred from the state
prison at Mitchellville, which should help alleviate crowding there.
* A "zero-tolerance" policy toward offenders who use illegal drugs in
community corrections facilities has had "astonishing" success in curbing
drug use. The policy has been used in the Des Moines, Cedar Rapids and
Council Bluffs areas, and will be expanded statewide, Kautzky said.
* A plan is being studied by the Iowa Legislature to prevent some
probationers who violate rules from being sent to prison. Instead, the
offenders would be assigned to drug treatment programs at mental health
facilities in Clarinda and Mount Pleasant.
Inmates will pay an extra 6 percent for candy, cigarettes and other items to
help with their keep.
Iowa inmates will pay a 6 percent surtax on cigarettes, candy, shampoo and
other items to help pay part of their keep under plans approved Friday by
the Iowa Board of Corrections.
Many prisoners in the past had paid $5 a month for the so-called
"incarceration fee." But Iowa Corrections Director W.L. "Kip" Kautzky said
some inmates had avoided payments by making sure their prison accounts had a
very low balance.
The new approach is more equitable because every inmate makes purchases from
prison stores, Kautzky said.
The 6 percent surtax should generate $300,000 to $310,000 annually, about
the same as the $5 per month payment, officials said. However, plans are
being made for centralized purchasing of retail products for all of Iowa's
prisons, and the savings will be passed on to inmates. That should help
offset the effect of the surtax, Kautzky said.
Deputy Corrections Director John Baldwin said collection of the 6 percent
surtax began in November, but the board's action Friday approves it as a
state administrative rule.
On other matters, Kautzky told the the state panel:
* A new, 100-bed "special needs" prison unit for women will open this month
at Mount Pleasant. The inmates, who have problems such as mental illness,
mental retardation or social inadequacy, will be transferred from the state
prison at Mitchellville, which should help alleviate crowding there.
* A "zero-tolerance" policy toward offenders who use illegal drugs in
community corrections facilities has had "astonishing" success in curbing
drug use. The policy has been used in the Des Moines, Cedar Rapids and
Council Bluffs areas, and will be expanded statewide, Kautzky said.
* A plan is being studied by the Iowa Legislature to prevent some
probationers who violate rules from being sent to prison. Instead, the
offenders would be assigned to drug treatment programs at mental health
facilities in Clarinda and Mount Pleasant.
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