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Welcome to Prison. Now Pay Up

Prisons Commissioner Louis Giorla today said he was considering charging a fee for all new inmates at Philadelphia prisons.

"We just have to find some ways to offset our costs," Giorla said at a PhillyStat session this afternoon. "We can't cut food. We can't cut health care or behavioral health."

If the plan is implemented, Giorla said new inmates would be charged about $35 -- a sum he says most have on them when they get processed. He couldn't estimate how much money the fees would generate, although he said they process about 40,000 people each year.

Like other department heads, Giorla is reviewing cost-cutting steps as the city tries to close $1 billion budget hole over five years. Philadelphia's prison costs have soared in recent years. The prisons budget is currently about $230 million. Giorla said the system currently houses 9,681 inmates, which includes sentenced individuals and those awaiting trial.

Mayor Nutter said the fee was worth consideration. "I think it's something that should be explored," he said. "I don't think it's unreasonable at all."