Jail Report for 2004
January 5, 2005
Jail report for 2004 by Jailer Cliff Gill
Jail bookings showed a 20 per cent increase for 2004 over 2003. Deputy jailers conducted 6,443 bookings in 2004 as compared to 5,425 in 2003 and increase of 1,018. The increased bookings caused the daily average inmate population to increase to 420. The jail's rated capacity is 342.
The monthly cost of operating the jail for November was $319,000 which includes salaries. Cost per day is over $10,000 putting the cost per day per inmate at $24.84. The county receives $26.51 a day from the state for each state prisoner in the jail. The county received $116,000 in November for housing over 140 state prisoners.
The jail's budget for 2004-2005 fiscal year is 4.2 million dollars. Half of the jail budget will be paid from the county's general fund.
Bob Arnold the Executive Director of The Kentucky Association of Counties says in a letter to Kentucky newspapers( one published in Paducah Sun January 5th) that 200 Millions dollars will be spent in operating Kentucky jails and half of that will come from the counties' general funds. Director Arnold says the state is paying $30.49 to $44.19 to private prisons per inmate while paying only $26.51 per inmate to Kentucky counties. The state also pays the medical costs in private prisons. Arnold calls this a shirking of responsibility on the part of the state.
70 per cent of the 444 persons housed in the jail today (January 5th 2005) are charged with drug related crimes. The state plans to start a drug court in April but this will have little if any impact on the jail's increased population The drug court will only have about 30 class members and it will take a year to year and half to complete the treatment program. The drug court should have started 10 to 12 years ago.
Citizens should be aware of another growing concern of mine is that inmates are becoming more violent. Deputies investigated and reported 944 incidents in 2004 which is a record. The pepper ball gun is being deployed more often by deputies. 15 inmates are on continuous 23 hour lock down and suicide watches in the jail's two suicide watch cells are usually maintained constantly.
I would like to commend the staff for their dedication to their job in 2004 especially during the 14 inch snow and holidays. I noted few if any call ins during the snow storm. Jailer Cliff Gill