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| Federal prisoners pulled from Pickens jail; big revenue loss |
| By Associated Press |
| Published: 03/28/2005 |
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The U.S. Marshals Service has decided to remove its inmates from the Pickens County jail at Carrollton, Ala., which has produced nearly $700,000 in less than two years from housing federal prisoners. The loss of revenue will be a blow to a county trying to pay off more than $3 million in debt from the federal court-ordered construction of a new jail in 1998. Commissioners say they are not likely to seek any tax or fee increases to make up the difference. Pickens County Sheriff David Abston said Chester Keely, marshal for the state's northern district, told him that costs were too great to transport prisoners between Birmingham and Carrollton, about 110 miles apart, as were the costs to pay court-appointed attorneys to drive between the two cities. "They just told us it was a business decision," Abston said. The county had a nonbinding contract with the U.S. Marshals to house 20 prisoners, but often kept more at times. Most of the prisoners were in jail for nonviolent crimes such as drug possession or identity theft. County Administrator Cheryl Gary said the county got $625,000 in revenue from housing federal prisoners in 2004. Abston oversaw the construction of a 50-bed work release center in 2003 that allowed him to ease overcrowding in the county jail and gave the county the ability to house more federal prisoners. |
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