The sheriff of Maricopa County, Arizona plans to start charging inmates for their meals.

He calls it a cost-saving measure to help with the budget.

Christopher Sign explains the plan.

A dollar a day. That's the charge inmates pay for their meals in the Maricopa County Jail.

"Everybody else has to pay for their food. Why should they get freebies?" says Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio.

Each day, the roughly 8,300 inmates receive two meals, one that covers breakfast and lunch, the other, dinner.

"You have to be a little innovative in these budget problems," says Arpaio.

Sheriff Arpaio says meals used to cost 60 cents a day. It's gone p as the jail now purchases more food.

"Food banks are hurting too, they're not getting the donations, we are not getting donations," he says.

The sheriff says he plans to implement the charge next month in the jails and tents.

The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office has the third largest jail system in the country and appears to be the first to make this sort of move.

So how does he plan to collect the buck.

"When they come in the jail and they have money, that will be the first priority," he says.

Then, as money is placed in the inmates' accounts to purchase items in the jail, that would be subjected to the dollar a day fee.

"We're going to make sure that we use that money first before you go to the canteen to buy some chocolate bars," says Sheriff Arpaio.

And for those who don't have the cash?

"Those who don't have the money; c'mon we're still going to feed them," he says.

Arpaio says he'd eventually still like to charge a housing fee.

No date on that move.