Opinion ID: 1179602
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Responsibility for Prisoners Charged With Violating a City Ordinance

Text: We reject any contention that, under A.R.S. § 31-121(A) and § 11-601(3), the county, rather than the city, is liable for the cost of housing prisoners charged with or convicted of violating a city ordinance. A.R.S. § 31-121(A) states the following: The sheriff shall receive all persons committed to jail by competent authority and provide them with necessary food, clothing and bedding, the cost of which shall be a county charge. Also, A.R.S. § 11-601(3) states that, County charges are:       3. Expenses necessarily incurred in the support of persons charged with or convicted of crime and committed therefor to the county jail. In determining the legislative intent of a statute, courts must construe the statute in conjunction with other relevant statutes. Lemons v. Superior Court, 141 Ariz. 502, 505, 687 P.2d 1257, 1260 (1984); Dupnik v. MacDougall, 136 Ariz. 39, 42, 664 P.2d 189, 192 (1983). Thus, A.R.S. §§ 31-121(A) and 11-601(3) must be read in conjunction with § 31-121(C), which states: A person who is arrested or charged with a violation of a city or town ordinance may be housed in a city or town jail, or in a county jail if the city or town makes contractual arrangements with the board of supervisors of that county to house prisoners. A county board of supervisors shall arrange to house a person who is arrested or charged with a violation of a state statute in a county jail or may arrange to house such a person in a city or town jail if the board contracts with the city or town to house such prisoners. Apparently the legislature intended cities to be responsible for housing prisoners charged with violating a city ordinance. If the city does not want to maintain its own jail, it may enter into a contractual arrangement with the county and, under A.R.S. § 31-121(A), the county is required to receive the city prisoners. A.R.S. § 31-121(A) does not place responsibility on the county for the cost of housing city prisoners; it merely requires the county to receive the city prisoners. The counties are still entitled under A.R.S. § 31-121(C) to charge the cities for the cost of housing such city prisoners. Additional support for this interpretation of A.R.S. § 31-121(A) comes from the fact that subsection A was adopted from California (CAL.PENAL CODE § 4015 (West 1982)) and California has previously held that cities are liable to counties for the cost of housing prisoners charged with or convicted of violating city ordinances. Washington Township Hosp. Dist. v. County of Alameda, 263 Cal. App.2d 272, 275-76, 69 Cal. Rptr. 442, 444 (1968). The California court also held that liability for the cost of maintaining a prisoner in a county jail is dependent upon the basis of the prisoner's detention.... Id. Judicial constructions of statutes from other jurisdictions are persuasive authority if the Arizona statute is adopted from that jurisdiction. Cottonwood Dev. v. Foothills Area Coalition, 134 Ariz. 46, 50, 653 P.2d 694, 698 (1982). We find the California court's interpretation of the statute to be persuasive authority for the proposition that cities are liable for the cost of housing prisoners charged with or convicted of violating a city ordinance. Additionally, other courts have interpreted similar statutes as we now interpret A.R.S. § 31-121(A). Utah County v. Orem City, 699 P.2d 707 (Utah 1985) (statutes stating that county charges include the cost of housing prisoners and requiring the sheriff to receive all persons committed to jail by competent authority did not, when read with other statutes, show a legislative intent that the county bear the cost of housing prisoners convicted of violating a city ordinance); see also County of Bannock v. City of Pocatello, 110 Idaho 292, 715 P.2d 962 (1986) (holding that the city, not the county, is liable for the cost of housing prisoners charged with or convicted of violating a city ordinance); City of Grand Rapids v. County of Kent, 96 Mich. App. 15, 292 N.W.2d 475 (1980) (county entitled to charge per diem fee to cities for confinement in county jail of persons charged with or convicted of violating a city ordinance). Counties are not responsible for the costs of housing city prisoners accused or convicted of violating a city ordinance.