Washington, February 10 (RHC)-- A prison in Nevada County in the United States is moving ahead with a rare plan to charge inmates for food and medical care, despite opposition from human rights activists who call the move as a “cruel” punishment.

The Elko County Commission approved Sheriff Jim Pitts' proposal to charge prisoners $6 a day for meals, $10 for each medical visit and $5 for initial booking into the jail.  He said the move will save county taxpayers millions of dollars a year.  Pitts told The Elko Daily Free Press that the prison pays up to $10,000 for the costs of food, services, housing and utilities for all 120 inmates, saying: "We're not the Hilton.  These guys shouldn't have a free ride."

The plan angered human rights groups.  The executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union in Nevada, Tod Story, warned that the county could face a legal battle, saying he was shocked that anyone would even think of doing something like this.  The ACLU official said the move is clearly unconstitutional and constitutes cruel and unusual punishment.