N. Virginia envisions prisoners who buck the system

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Jail officials in Northern Virginia are considering charging inmates for each day they are behind bars, to help pay for upkeep.

Officials in Alexandria and Fairfax County said they are working to enact a program that would require state and local inmates to pay a daily $1 fee, which in some cases would help cover meal expenses.

"We're looking at doing a fee program. That could be a big boost to us," said Maj. James Whitley of the Fairfax County Sheriff's Office, which runs the county's Adult Detention Center in Fairfax City.

The Fairfax County jail houses about 1,200 inmates.

Capt. David Rocco of the Alexandria Sheriff's Office said the city is "still working" on the possibility of imposing a daily fee on inmates at the city jail.

"We haven't made a final decision yet," Capt. Rocco said.

In July, the Virginia General Assembly authorized local governments to charge each inmate a daily fee of up to $1. The fees have been implemented in jails in Portsmouth, Norfolk and Virginia Beach.

The program is about to get started in Harrisonburg, Va.

Rockingham County Sheriff Don Farley said he expects to start charging jail fees as early as January. He said the $1 fee his office plans to charge will help defray the cost of the county jail in Harrisonburg, near the West Virginia state line.