|
|
| Kansas City Jail Forced To Release Some Inmates |
| By KMBC |
| Published: 01/03/2003 |
|
A tight budget and a staff shortage mean some city prisoners are going free before their sentences are up. KMBC's Micheal Mahoney reported that this is probably the first example of the scaled-back city budget and its effect. The city cut $500,000 out of the municipal corrections budget this year. The municipal corrections department is already short staffed. Mahoney said that 10 low-threat inmates have been released by the city jail because of the guard shortage. The city jail, known as 'The Farm,' has 27 guards. It could use more than 40 guards. There are about 260 prisoners at the jail. The emergency releases, as they are called, will continue every day until the population drops to about 210, Mahoney reported. Administrators believe that about 1,200 inmates will get out early this year because of the guard shortage. 'A ratio of five guards for 260 inmates is unsafe for the guards. That's unsafe for the inmates. That's why we're closing an additional wing,' Director Nancy Leazer said. One wing of the jail dorms has already been closed. A second wind is being closed because of the staff shortage. Mahoney said that the jail is trying to pick the least dangerous inmates to free, and it won't release inmates waiting for trial, domestic violence cases, and inmates sent there from the circuit court. 'They are not felons. But in the past, they may have been in other institutions,' Leazer said. |
advertise
|
privacy policy
|
add URL
|
about us
|
terms/disclaimer
|
contact us
|
join our team
|
help
Do you know someone who has been arrested in Waco or McLennan County? It’s important to find a good Waco lawyer to represent you in the matter involving your own liberty. Look for the best Thomas West that you can find. Whether you have been accused rightly or wrongly, it’s important to know your legal rights that concern whether you go to jail.