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| As inmate cap drops, more fines possible |
| By The Indianapolis Star |
| Published: 10/06/2003 |
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The inmate cap at the Marion County, Ind., Jail will drop to 1,285 from 1,310, tightening the pressure on officials who already have faced an $840 fine this month for breaking the old ceiling. The jail count Monday was 1,257, high enough to worry some officials as the new limit looms. "All we know is, today we're within 28 of the cap -- and that's too close," Col. Kerry Forestal of the Marion County Sheriff's Department said after the Marion County Criminal Justice Planning Council met. Since July, county taxpayers have been threatened with fines totaling $40 a day for each inmate over a limit established by U.S. District Judge Sarah Evans Barker. After an almost daily juggling act to remain under the limit, Sheriff Frank Anderson declared an emergency Sept. 19 when the population hit 1,331, 21 over the allowed threshold. As a result, Marion Superior Court judges ordered 148 inmates released into community programs and the county had to set aside money -- the mandated fines -- in a fund designated to help solve crowding. Judges and other leaders within the justice system continue to seek the right formula for quickly releasing as many relatively harmless suspects as possible while ensuring those deemed dangerous remain locked up -- and that the jail remains beneath its cap. One snag: It's still taking about 12 hours to process a suspect through the new, $12 million Arrestee Processing Center. The goal is four to eight hours, said Marion County Justice Agency Executive Director Melinda Haag. Finding a solution is critical -- the cap will shrink to 1,135 on April 1. |
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