Can You Eat for $1.75 a Day? Alabama Prisoners Do
Submitted: May 16, 2008 - 80 years ago Alabama passed a law that gave sheriffs $1.75 a day to cover the cost of prisoner grub. If they didn't spend that much, they got to keep the leftover dough. Most Alabama counties still operate under this system, with the same per diem — and some sheriffs are actually making money on top of their salaries.
The precise amount of profit is impossible to figure — sheriffs buy food out…

