Frederick Co. Revives Plan To Charge Jail Inmate Fees

FREDERICK, Md. (AP) -- State lawmakers from Frederick County are reviving a proposal to charge jail inmates for intake processing and education.

The Frederick News-Post reports that Republican Delegate Michael Hough presented the bill Tuesday to the House Judiciary Committee.

It would set a $10 intake fee for processing new inmates and a one-time fee of $25 for participating in the GED program.

Eastern Shore Republican Michael Smigiel says he's concerned that an education fee would discourage inmates from taking classes.

But Frederick County's corrections chief says the fee would weed out those who view GED classes as social hours.

Similar bills from Frederick County's delegation have failed in recent years. This one deletes a $10-a-day room-and-board fee that kept a previous version from moving forward.

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