§ 31-239 — Utility fees

A. The director shall establish by rule a reasonable utility fee for electrical utilities that are consumed by prisoners who are confined in a correctional facility. The fee shall not exceed two dollars per month. The director shall charge each prisoner who possesses at least one major electrical appliance a utility fee. The director shall deduct the utility fee monthly from the prisoner's spendable account.

B. The director shall use the monies collected pursuant to this section to offset the cost of the department's utility expenses.

C. The director shall exempt the following prisoners from payment of the utility fee:

1. Prisoners at reception centers.

2. Prisoners in the behavioral treatment unit at the special management unit.

3. Prisoners with developmental disabilities who are housed in a special programs unit.

4. Prisoners who are housed in unit 8 at the Florence prison facility.

5. Prisoners who are inpatients at the Alhambra prison facility special programs psychiatric hospital.

6. Prisoners who are inpatients at the Flamenco prison facility mental health treatment unit.

D. The director shall deduct monies credited to an indigent inmate's spendable account for the payment of the utility fee.