Interesting fact I found out while reporting this week’s Urban Explorer column: Spending a night in jail can cost some cash. Twenty bucks to be exact.

Several of the released inmates I interviewed for the story told me they paid the jail $20 to be held for the night. Col. David Parrish, who has acted as the commander of the Hillsborough County jail system since 1981, confirmed the jail charges a $20 initial fee when someone is booked and jailed.

Inmates cost money, he says, so several years ago Parrish researched how other jail systems in the country helped fund their operations. He found legislation from Minnesota that authorized jails to charge inmates “per diem” and brought it to the Hillsborough County Board of Commissioners. But, fearing inmates’ families would not put money in their accounts for fear of being charged, Parrish suggested they only charge an initial “per diem” fee upon booking.

Last year, jail officials collected $800,000 for the county jail fund. Over the years, several inmates have challenged the fee in court and failed.

So, if you come to jail with $20 in your wallet, jail officials will collect it. If you don’t have it, they’ll take it the next time you stop by. But don’t assume claiming pauper status will keep you out of the slammer.

“If you don’t have it,” Parrish assures, “We still book you.”

This article appears in Oct 10-16, 2007.