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| More Cash Needed for Jail |
| By The Poughkeepsie Journal |
| Published: 11/14/2005 |
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The cost to New York taxpayers for keeping excess jail inmates in other counties will top $2 million by the end of the year. Legislators will vote next week on whether the county should take another $200,000 out of its reserves to cover the projected cost of housing-out inmates through the end of 2005. The county originally budgeted a little more than $1.2 million for the year and now expects to spend about $1 million more than that. The county's proposed budget for 2006 includes nearly $2.4 million for housing inmates in other counties. In October, the county sent an average of 97 inmates a day to other counties, due to overcrowding, county Corrections Administrator Gary Christensen said . It costs the county $100 a day, per inmate, to house them elsewhere. The state has demanded that Dutchess count more than double the size of its jail, by adding space for 300 additional beds, to alleviate overcrowding and provide for future needs. Such a project has been estimated to cost from $60 million to $70 million, not including financing costs, or staffing and upkeep of an expanded facility. "The state is waiting for a proposal from Dutchess County," Christensen said Thursday. County leaders have favored a smaller addition to the facility, but the state Commission of Correction, which oversees county jails, has rejected that. Leaders have been at a stalemate for several months over what to do about a shortage of space at the jail. The state's unyielding stance has only complicated the matter. A legislative committee signed off on spending the additional $200,000, setting up Monday's vote. Two days after an election in which Democrats cut into the Republicans' majority, some hard feelings remained. During the campaign, the jail issue was a main focus for both sides. The Democrats have opposed adding on to the jail and have favored expanding sentencing alternatives. Republicans have opposed Democratic plans, even ridiculing the consideration of loaning bail money to low-level, nonviolent offenders awaiting trial as giving criminals a "get out of jail free card." This year, the county's Criminal Justice Council recommended expanding some alternatives to incarceration and adding 150 cells to the jail to deal with the overcrowding. Democrats on Thursday questioned what had been done to reduce the jail population in recent months. Majority Whip Gary Cooper, R-Pine Plains, quickly noted the council said any expansion of the alternatives needed to be coupled with an addition to the jail. "I'd like to know what their caucus has done since February," Cooper said. Besides the council's 150-bed expansion proposal, Sheriff Butch Anderson later proposed a 100-cell addition to the jail, said Minority Whip Sandra Goldberg, D-Wappinger. "Both have been out-and-out rejected," Goldberg said. |
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