Resource: Roberts v. Thompson

All over the country, there are statutes authorizing local governments to impose fees on individuals for the supposed costs of their incarceration. Generally, these fees are referred to as ‘pay-to-stay’ because they require individuals to pay for time spent detained against their will. These laws essentially allow the government to charge a rate as if it’s a hotel, often in terrible conditions. In Black Hawk County, Iowa, the policy of imposing pay-to-stay fees is made worse by the Sheriff’s practice of having individuals sign an antiquated legal document known as a “confession of judgment,” before they are released from jail. The Sheriff then uses confessions of judgment to collect jail fees without giving individuals any process to challenge them—and without any court review of whether the fees are lawful. The Sheriff uses the fees collected to fund a shooting range for the enjoyment of department employees and families, outfitted with ice cream and cotton candy machines as well as laser tag.