Mass. sheriff asks court to reinstate inmate fees

BOSTON -- The highest court in Massachusetts will hear arguments this week in a sheriff's bid to charge inmates fees for rent, haircuts and medical visits.

Bristol County Sheriff Thomas Hodgson began charging inmates fees in 2002, including a $5 a day rent fee for staying in county jails.

Two years later, a Superior Court judge struck down the fees, agreeing with inmates that county sheriffs don't have the authority to impose such charges.

The state Supreme Judicial Court will hear Hodgson's appeal of that ruling on Monday.

Hodgson says the fees can help teach inmates to accept responsibility for their actions and ease the burden on taxpayers, who pay for inmate services.

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)