Skyrocketing jail and prison operating costs and a fast-growing jail population are making it difficult on county jails across the state, lawmakers learned during a legislative meeting Wednesday.
“Our prison population continues to grow, putting a lot of pressure on county jails across the state,” said Senate President Pro Tem Jimmy Higdon, R-Lebanon.
He said not all jails are created equal.
“Some work very hard to offer every program they can offer, while at some jails the only thing they can do is warehouse prisoners ‘with three hots and a cot,’” he said, referring to meals and a place to sleep.
Higdon said he believes the state should go to a performance-based funding model, like what was recently enacted for Kentucky’s institutions of higher education “to reward those jails that have programs for inmates which give them an opportunity to succeed after their sentence is complete.”
He said in addition to having been convicted of a crime, felons without at least a GED have a more difficult time becoming productive members of society. “An investment by the state while they are in jail will save further expense down the road.” He also noted this could reduce recidivism, or the number of repeat offenders.
Justice Cabinet Secretary John Tilley said the 76 full service local jails house half of the 25,000 prisoners incarcerated by the state, some serving up to 10 years behind bars.
“That presents a unique set of challenges as county jails were never meant to house long-term,” he said. “They were built to house inmates before adjudication and that’s the way most states handle it.”
Tilley said many of the inmates are in need of drug treatment as well as job training. “Corrections officers believe these programs are working. It’s making their jobs safer, as these inmates are focused on these therapies, job skills and job training.”
He urged action because Kentucky’s prison population has grown from 3,000 in the early 1970s to 25,000 today. In addition, there are 48,000 people on active supervision, plus another 12,000 to 14,000 county inmates, putting a burden on state and local governments alike.
Tilley also said there are 160,000 open jobs in Kentucky, and former inmates with job skills and job training could reduce that number.
By Kentucky Today
