By Michael Howell
They say crime doesn’t pay. If that’s true, then it’s going to pay even less in Ravalli County as the cost of doing business is going up. On May 10, the Ravalli County Commissioners adopted a resolution raising some fees at the Detention Center and adding some new ones. The daily rate for those convicted of a crime is now $100. Anyone arrested will pay a $25 administrative booking fee. A court ordered administrative information booking fee will now cost $15. A $15 administrative DNA fee is also being charged.
The average cost per day per inmate at the facility is $91 per day. A lot of that cost goes towards personnel. The average overtime for the Detention Officer is estimated at $32.28 per 90 minutes and DNA overtime for the Detention Officer is $10.76 per 30 minutes. Information Booking is estimated at $8.29 per 30 minutes.
Another large chunk of the cost per inmate per day is medical, at $15.12. Then comes the cost of meals at $10.86. The cost of addiction services per inmate per day is $0.74. The cost of laundry is $3, supplies cost $2. Ambulance/clinic/hospital costs are $3. Facility maintenance costs $3. Add $1 for drugs, $0.70 for office equipment maintenance, and $0.25 for safety supplies, and it all comes to the grand total of $91 per inmate per day.