State law authorizes counties to charge jail inmates a $12 booking fee and up to $60 per night for the cost of their housing. The Michigan Constitution requires each county to elect a sheriff, who is responsible for operating the jail. Source: Mackinac Center FOIA requests to each county jail.Įach county bears the cost of housing inmates in its local jail. Here are the 10 most expensive places in Michigan to spend the night in jail: People convicted of a misdemeanor who serve time generally go to county jail rather than a state prison - specifically, the jail in the county where they committed their crime.īut would-be criminals should take note: Some Michigan counties take the concept of an offender’s “debt to society” more seriously (and literally) than others, and inmates in their jails may be released with massive debts. Misdemeanors, by contrast, are more minor crimes that carry lighter penalties. Felonies are serious crimes, and being convicted of one could result in large fines, incarceration of at least one year, or both. There are two broad categories of crimes: felonies and misdemeanors. Still, if it must be done, we should enact policies that reduce jail populations and give inmates better options for paying their debts. While incarceration is an expensive prospect and inmates aren’t the most sympathetic of people, it’s unfair and unsustainable for counties to expect them to fund jails. But few recoup their costs by doing so, because criminal defendants are frequently indigent. County jails in our state are allowed to bill inmates nightly, and many do. But it may surprise you to learn that real inmates in Michigan jails may also owe that much – and a lot more. Fans of the board game Monopoly know that, if you land in jail, it’ll cost you $50 to get out.

Inmates in michigan jails