American Notes PRISONS

Fast-buck artists take note: get yourself arrested in New York City, and you could be $150 to the good if you're kept in the slammer for a night without proper amenities. That is precisely how much U.S. District Judge Morris Lasker last week ordered the city's correction department to pay every suspect kept for more than 24 hours in a holding pen that rates below minimal standards. The unusual decision culminates more than a decade of feuding between Lasker and the city over the condition of its jail cells, many of which do not have beds or toilets and sinks.

Correction officials admit to sanitary violations but claim there is little they can do. They contend that the jail population is subject to sudden surges in arrests and note that the opening of a new 850-bed facility is running behind schedule. "Paying arrestees $150 is outrageous," said city council president Andrew Stein, "and rewards potential criminals."