If some Will County officials have their way, certain convicted criminals who have been stripped of their freedom will have to pay for it – by the night.

No, they aren’t considering making hotels into jails. It’s the other way around.

In a money-raising effort, some county officials are proposing that jail inmates be charged a nightly rate of up to $56 for their stay. The Will County Jail has an annual budget of $18.6 million, with expenses expecting to rise with the planned $50 million expansion.

The program would be modeled after a “successful” program in Macomb County near Detroit, which has been charging inmates for 20 years. Inmates at the Will County jail would be charged on a sliding scale depending on ability to pay, with $6 being the lowest rate.

In theory, it’s a great idea. Taxpayers don’t want the burden of paying for the expenses of convicted criminals. Jails are overcrowded and expansion projects are costing millions. Some inmates at the jail are doubling up in “rooms” – or 11-foot-wide cells.

But, the idea of charging inmates for their stay is just not practical.

Sure, if the inmate has family, why not just send them the bill? They probably haven’t gone through enough with their loved one committing a crime and being jailed for it, so why not make them pay $56 for each night they go without their loved one?

Jail officials say $56 is a bargain. Sheriff’s Department spokesman Pat Barry couldn’t believe the “amenities” the jail provides, saying it is better than a three-star hotel. Three-star hotels likely don’t force guests to double up in tiny rooms because of over-occupancy.

Jail officials shouldn’t be comparing their facilities to a hotel, nor be considering charging nightly rates comparable to those of a hotel.