Member Sandra Sroka was photographed in an article featured in the April 11, 2001 Burbank Leader. The following is the article in its entirety.

Go Directly to Jail, Pay $75 - Weekend program beats county lockup for offenders, builds revenue for Burbank
By Josh Goldstein, Photo by Scott Roby

Caption under picture: Burbank jailer Sandra Sroka checks on prisoners in the Burbank City Jail. The jail is seen as a win-win situation for inmates, who get to spend time in smaller, cleaner and less crowded surroundings than in L.A. County jails, and for Burbank, bringing in revenue for the city.

Spending a weekend behind bars might not be the best investment of time for most people, but city officials see it as a sound economic investment.

Burbank's City Jail offers its Jail Weekender Program for low-grade misdemeanors. Inmates serve their time in smaller, cleaner and less-crowded accommodations than the Los Angeles County jails, said Tim Smith, city jail manager.

IN 1999, the jail brought $75,750 into the city's general fund from its weekender program, which actually operates throughout the entire week. That five-digit revenue jumped to $123,830 in 2000, when 619 inmates paid $75 per day to serve out their time for low-grade offenses.

One of the reasons for the increase is simple word of mouth. Lawyers who know the city jail is a better temporary residence than the county lockup tell their clients - and other lawyers - abut it, Smith said.

Attorney Tom Cotrel, a Burbank-based defense attorney, said he always lets his clients know that serving time in Burbank's jail probably is a better deal than doing time at the county jail.

Male and female inmates typically check in Friday evening and are released by 7pm Sunday. They stay in dormitory-style cells and area allowed to play cards and read during their time. Many inmates also perform light janitorial duty while in the jail.

Cell dedicated to the program take up about 25% of the space the jail has for its regular arrests, said Smith, a civilian employee with the department.

To drum up business, Burbank officials send letters to all Southern California courts, since the program is open to residents of any city.

Judges also tell those convicted of misdemeanors about the program, which pleases city officials, Smith said. After all, it is a business, he added.

"The city wants to make as much money as it can to help offset the amount it costs to run the jail," he said.