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Following a court decision earlier this year, the way jails can collect fees for inmate housing has changed. Washington County Sheriff Jared Schneider explained at the Washington County Board of Supervisors meeting Tuesday that following a court decision, a person sentenced to jail time may not be charged the full fees if they do not have the ability to pay.

The case is Iowa versus Albright, which had a court opinion published March 22nd and amended earlier this summer. In the Franklin County case, Charles Albright appealed his convictions and sentences for kidnapping in the first degree and willful injury causing bodily injury. One challenge was the determination that he could pay the fees associated without the fees first having an established amount.

Schneider said when he set the fiscal year budget for the sheriff’s office and jail this had not yet taken place, “How it impacts our revenues and our budget has yet to be seen. You know, when I filled out my budget in January, this wasn’t in play then. So the overall effect on this year’s revenues we’re going to have to see how that plays out.” Schneider clarified that this is only for those inmates within Washington County. In situations where inmates are from another county and being housed in Washington County’s Jail, the jail bills the original county for the fees associated for room and board. During the presentation of the quarterly report, it was listed that $45,000 in fees was collected, up from $29,000 the previous quarter.