Opinion ID: 2000971
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The Illegal Sentence Issue.

Text: In addition to defendant's prison sentence, the district court ordered him to pay restitution for pecuniary damages, court costs, court-appointed attorney fees, and for room and board jail expenses at the rate of $10 per day. Defendant asserts that he may not be required to pay for jail expenses incurred during the period of time before his plea of guilty. He bases this argument on language contained in Iowa Code section 356.7(1) (1997), which provides, in part: The county sheriff may charge a prisoner who is eighteen years of age or older and who has been convicted of a criminal offense or sentenced for contempt of court for violation of a domestic abuse order for the room and board provided to the prisoner while in the custody of the county sheriff. Defendant contends that the language who has been convicted of a criminal offense limits the recoupment of room and board costs from jail prisoners to the period of time they spent in jail following conviction. We disagree. Certain rules offer guidance in determining the meaning of a statute. If the terms of the statute are explicit, the plain meaning of the language will be applied. Woodbury County v. City of Sioux City, 475 N.W.2d 203, 205 (Iowa 1991); State v. Perry, 440 N.W.2d 389, 391 (Iowa 1989). We are convinced that the language who has been convicted of a criminal offense describes who may be charged rather than the services for which charges may be made. The expenses that may be recouped are identified by the language room and board provided to the prisoner while in the custody of the county sheriff. This language denotes all room and board while in such custody. If any ambiguity exists concerning the meaning of section 356.7(1), and we believe that it does not, the same interpretation is demanded by our obligation to reach a reasonable interpretation that effectuates rather than defeats the purpose of the legislation. State v. Sailer, 587 N.W.2d 756, 761 (Iowa 1998); Metier v. Cooper Transp. Co., 378 N.W.2d 907, 912 (Iowa 1985). It is the purpose of this legislation to assist the county in recovering the costs incurred for housing and feeding prisoners during jail stays. No reason appears to distinguish between time spent in jail before conviction and time spent in jail following conviction in achieving that goal. If the interpretation proposed by defendant was adopted, only a small portion of these costs could be recouped, thereby curtailing the apparent purpose that the statute seeks to accomplish. The district court did not act beyond its authority in requiring restitution based on charges certified by the sheriff for the entire period of defendant's stay in the county jail.