St. Louis, Missouri (RI) — A federal appeals court has ruled that a lawsuit challenging Black Hawk County jail fees may proceed.
The ACLU and the legal-advocacy group Public Justice sued the county in 2024 on behalf of two people who were charged more than $4,000 in jail fees. The suit claimed the sheriff’s office made them sign a document before release, promising to pay the fees.
ACLU of Iowa legal director Rita Bettis Austen says people often don’t know they can challenge the fees.
The suit claims the sheriff’s office was forcing inmates to sign a document promising to pay $95 per day for each day spent in jail.
Charles Moore, a senior attorney with Public Justice, says the fees themselves are a bad idea to begin with.
Iowa law allows counties to charge inmates for room and board. The Black Hawk County Sheriff’s Office has said signing the document before release was optional.
The case now heads back to federal district court.
KIWA Staff Photo
