The reimbursement the Arkansas Department of Correction pays to county jails to hold its inmates isn’t enough to cover the cost, which could push the Washington County Detention Center and other jails over budget.
More than one-third of Washington County’s roughly 630 inmates are state prisoners, double the number a year ago. Even with the state’s daily payment of $28 per inmate, housing that many state inmates costs the jail about $4,000 each day.
Detention Maj. Randall Denzer said the extra burden might still fit within this year’s $13 million budget, largely because the year’s almost over. If the number of state inmates holds or grows, the Sheriff’s Office may need to request more money from the Quorum Court next year.
“We may make it — we’re gonna be really close on our food (cost),” he said Tuesday. “Everything’s being used to the max. If the numbers don’t come down, it’s getting real urgent.”
Almost 2,700 inmates statewide are waiting in county jails to be transferred to the state penitentiary, said Shea Wilson, correction department spokeswoman. That’s up from about 2,100 in October, Wilson said, because the state prison has neither the room nor the money to house them.
“We know it puts a crunch on the county, but we’re feeling it, too,” Wilson said. “We’re bursting at the seams.”
So state inmates continue to wait in county jails that are beginning to run short on room and money as well.
“Just about every county in the state,” said Ronnie Baldwin, executive director of the Arkansas Sheriffs’ Association. “It’s not just a money issue, either. You get that many prisoners and you get that loaded in a jail, it becomes a terrible, terrible safety issue as far as correctional officers. This is a safety issue.”
Each person in the jail costs between $40 and $50 per day overall, Denzer said, and not all of the jail’s 710 beds can be filled. Men and women are kept separate as are pretrial and convicted inmates. Following Benton County’s lead, Washington County released between 15 and 20 low-risk, nonviolent inmates with ankle monitors during the past couple of weeks to make some room.
Ideally the jail would hold between 500 and 550 prisoners, Denzer said, and about 150 would be for the state. But while state inmates numbered fewer than 100 last December, they’ve steadily increased throughout the year to 233 on Friday. Assuming a constant increase, state inmates have cost the jail roughly $1 million to house during that time.
By The Numbers
Inmates
Inmate Cost Per Day: about $45
State Reimbursement Per Day: $28
Washington County’s State Inmates: 234
Net Cost Per Day: $4,000
Net Cost Per Month: $120,000
Source: Staff Report
To explain the backlog, officials point to changes in parole procedures following last summer’s murder of Forrest Abrams in Little Rock by Darrell Dennis, who had a history of parole violations. If someone is charged with violating parole, he returns to the county’s jail until the hearing.
“They have very little tolerance for any kind of mistakes,” Denzer said. “No matter what it is, you get it revoked.”
He added the state had an incentive to keep inmates in county jails that pick up part of the tab. But Wilson, the correction department spokeswoman, said the department would be requesting more money from the legislature early next year.
“To resolve this issue we will have to have additional bed space, which will need more money, and that comes with the legislative process,” she said, adding the department will bring up the issue during January’s state budget hearings.
“A group of us had a really, really good sit-down with Gov. (Mike) Beebe (Wednesday), and I think he’s gotten the ball moving on some things,” said Baldwin. “We just want Corrections to explore every possibility out there to remove some of this inmate backup.”