Riverside County to Charge Offenders for Jail Time: Phil Willon of the Los Angeles Times reports starting in December, Riverside County will bill criminals in county lockups up to $142 a day. Already in California, Placer County charges inmates up to $118 a day, and Madera County $73 a day. In accordance with state law, a judge must first determine that a defendant has the ability to pay before the county can seek an incarceration fee. Riverside County Supervisor Jeff Stone acknowledges that most convicted criminals will not be able to pay but estimates that up to 25% may be able to pay some amount, which could bring in at least $6 million a year to the county. "In these very challenging economic times, every dollar counts for counties, especially when you're $80 million in the hole," Stone said. "If you do the crime, then you're going to do the time and you're going to pay the dime."

Justice Department Sues Utah Over Immigration Law: Josh Loftin of The Associated Press reports the U.S. Justice Department filed a lawsuit Tuesday challenging Utah's immigration enforcement law, signed by Utah Governor Gary Herbert in March. The law requires those arrested for serious crimes, ranging from certain drug offenses to murder, to prove their citizenship and gives police the discretion to to check citizenship status on traffic infractions and other lesser offenses. The Justice Department argues that Utah's enforcement law preempts federal authority and could lead to the harassment and detention of authorized visitors and American citizens. Attorney General Eric Holder in a statement, "The federal government is the chief enforcer of immigration laws ... it is clearly unconstitutional for a state to set its own immigration policy." Other states that have been sued by the Justice Department after passing strict enforcement laws are Arizona, Alabama, and South Carolina.