6/20/1989 - Laserfiche WebLink

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BOOK 77 F,�IJE 121 approximately $20,000-$30,000 per bed to keep someone in jail for one year, and you are looking at $300,000-$400,000 a year to have them on the streets with all the crime that is committed. He believed we have a responsibility to the community to see that these people are in jail; unfortunately, they are not being put in jail all over the state because of overcrowding. Our long-range plans for the overcrowding problem is to build Phase Doug Wright, Director of Emergency Management Services, noted that we can show, even though it is soft money, that there is some benefit back to the taxpayers of this county to have 10-15 inmates working everyday on road projects. In addition there is the benefit of having them attend the drug treatment and counseling sessions in the evenings. The prisoners also would be gaining additional gain time. Commissioner Bird felt the key to the success of this program would be good organization and supervision. Chairman Wheeler confirmed that they will be very closely supervised. Further, they must be classified to get into this program. The trend in the programs we have looked at is that they have a waiting list of inmates who want to get into these programs because they get additional gain time for working. There is incentive. The participating inmates must be sentenced prisoners, not those just waiting for trial. Director Wright explained that this will not be a community service program where they work at their own pleasure and leisure. They will have a job to perform every day. Commissioner Bird asked how the three correction officers will be assigned, and Director Wright advised that one officer will be assigned to the classification of prisoners and prioritizing the assignments, and two officers will go out into the field to supervise the inmates. All three officers will be trained to perform all the functions. Three officers may be needed in the field if a sufficient number of inmates are 22