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RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT OF SHERIFFS LAWSUIT RE EARLY PRISONER RELEASE Sheriff Dobeck came before the Board to answer any questions regarding the proposed lawsuit against the D.O.C. Attorney Vitunac asked what the effect will be on our local jail if the Sheriffs win their lawsuit. Sheriff Dobeck felt that win or lose, it will cause the local jails to have fewer prisoners in them. He noted that the D.O.C. would have us believe that they have placed 800 million in their budget to build our way out of this problem, but what they are not saying is that if they don't build these jails on a state level, they are going to force us to build them on a local level. That is what has happened during the last 8 years. We have been forced by the lawsuits the state has filed against us to build bigger jails to ease the overcrowding caused by growth in the state. It seems reasonable to him that these jails should be built on a statewide level because if we are taxed statewide, everyone pays. If they are not built statewide, it will come back to the local taxpayer of each county that has that growth, and it will be more expensive to us on a local level. Chairman Wheeler agreed that something has to be done, and felt strongly that what is proposed is long overdue. He has read figures showing the cost of keeping someone in prison a year is $25,000 while the cost of having that same individual on the streets can. get as high as $430,000 a year. Sheriff Dobeck agreed that a substantial amount of money is being spent on the additional crimes these individuals commit outside of prison. He also stressed that every month an addi- tional 90 days is removed from the sentences of those already serving time. The lawsuit is very specific in that the Sheriffs believe that the Secretary of the D.O.C. is commuting sentences, and this goes directly against the constitution of the State of Florida, which specifically says that only the Governor and DEC 10 1989 55 BOOK rAGE.696