For most of us the image we have of jail is enough to keep us on the straight and narrow.  We can almost picture the horror now just by closing our eyes and imagining a tiny, crowded, dirty jail cell. Couple that with some undesirable roommates and virtually zero privacy, and you have created and image that most of us go our whole lives hoping never to experience.

Now image if jail wasn’t that bad.  For example…what if you had a private cell?  What if you had a flat screen television, cable and a mini-fridge?  Would that be a situation you wanted to avoid, or would it be one that you might not think is that bad?  Well in California, they are banking on these new high end “luxury” jail cells to be a draw for criminals looking to upgrade their accommodations.  Seriously, we are not kidding.  For anywhere from $100-$120 a day, inmates can now upgrade to a private luxury cell in Seal Beach, California.  They first must be qualified for the program and go through an interview process.  After that, all they need to do is fork over the cash and hard time becomes luxury time.  According to Seal Beach authorities the program was created to generate revenue for the jail to offset rising costs. In fact, The Ritz Carlton has just made plans to build a 300 cell jail with a golf course in San Bernardino, California….okay we are just kidding about that, but it seemed like a good way to poke fun at the idea.

The big question really becomes, is this kind of environment appropriate for a jail cell?  Should inmates be able to buy their way up to luxury?  Is this teaching them accountability for their crimes?  What do you think? Read the original story below.

Original article: Inmates Can Pay for Luxury Cells in Seal Beach Jail