The Grayson County court system will soon employ an “informal” Rocket Docket to help expedite criminal cases through the court system and save the county money spent on incarceration.
The Rocket Docket program, being utilized in over 30 counties across Kentucky, does not lessen the penalty for a crime, only the time a person spends waiting to be sentenced.
Prior to sentencing, which may be several weeks or months after the arrest, a suspect is a county inmate with the county responsible for the cost incurred for housing the inmate. But, after sentencing is handed down, the defendant becomes a state inmate, with the state responsible for the cost to house the prisoner.
“The goal would be to get the defendants charged with felonies through the system quicker, whether it’s on to prison or on to whatever probation offer the Commonwealth Attorney has in mind for that case,” County Attorney Jeremy Logsdon said. “Right now, (in Grayson County) we average about $45 per day (to house a county inmate), and you add that up, with all the people charged with felonies, the quicker we get them through the system, the quicker we save money.”
In Hardin County, where the Rocket Docket Program is used, in an 18-month period the county saved $600,000 in jail costs by decreasing the average days spent awaiting disposition of cases from 180 days to 45, according to the Henderson Gleaner.
At the request of Logsdon, Grayson County Fiscal Court voted to allow the Grayson County Detention Center to transfer $12,500 to the County Attorney’s Office to hire a part-time Rocket Docket administrator to manage the program, and make decisions on which cases are best suited for Rocket Docket consideration.
The program is a collaboration between Logsdon, Commonwealth Attorney Rick Hardin and Grayson County Jailer Jason Woosley.
(Photo: Grayson County Attorney Jeremy Logsdon)
By Ken Howlett, News Director
Contact Ken at ken@k105.com or 270-259-6000
