Scott Co. looks for ways to cut use of other jails

BENTON, Mo. -- The Scott County Commission wants to spend less on housing county inmates in other jurisdictions, but the sheriff doesn't know if that's possible.

Reducing costs is a priority, Scott County Sheriff Rick Walter said Thursday, "but the alternative is not good. Do you back off on law enforcement? No, that's definitely not an option. Judges don't want to turn these people out on the street. I don't know any good solutions."

Scott County commissioners met with county law enforcement and judicial officials Tuesday to discuss ways the county might speed up the judicial process in order to decrease the over $100,000 spent in 2006 to house prisoners in jails in Scott City and Chaffee.

Those involved called the meeting productive but said no clear, fast solution was found.

"Each judge had some idea on how we could improve," said Presiding Commissioner Jamie Burger, who didn't want to elaborate on those ideas because of his lack of legal expertise. "We just had a good meeting."

David Dolan, presiding circuit judge for the 33rd Judicial Circuit, was not available for comment Thursday afternoon, and Associate Circuit Judge Scott Horman said he was only at the meeting for a short time due to court duties and couldn't comment on the meeting.

In 2006, the county paid $111,750 to Scott City and $14,550 to Chaffee for housing prisoners in their city jails. Some of the cost is recouped by housing Sikeston prisoners and by collecting money from the state for holding prisoners who have been sentenced to state prison but are still temporarily housed in Scott County. The county took in $58,590 from Sikeston in 2006, according to figures furnished by Walter. The amount taken in from the state was not available Thursday, but the county earns $20 per day for each prisoner sentenced to the Department of Corrections held in the county jail.

Before the new jail was finished in 2003, the county only had a 40-bed jail facility, Burger said, and spent $200,000 per year on housing inmates in other jurisdictions. Now the county has a 120-bed facility at maximum capacity.

Walter said the jail population changes each day, which is why the county can house prisoners from other jurisdictions yet still has to contract out to Scott City and Chaffee for the boarding of some prisoners.

He said the county on average has 135 prisoners under its control each day.

Commissioner Dennis Ziegenhorn said the county has budgeted $200,000 this year for boarding prisoners in other jails.

The problem, Ziegenhorn said, has to do with inmates using the system to delay their sentencing and their transfer into prison.

While no real solutions were reached during the meeting, Ziegenhorn and Burger said now the county's judicial and law enforcement officials are aware of the money problem and the concerns of the commission.

"As far as I'm concerned, everybody is definitely willing to talk," Ziegenhorn said. "Judges have laws and guidelines they have to go by ... and I think they're doing all they can."

Burger said the meeting Tuesday was a first during his seven years as a commissioner. He and Ziegenhorn both said they don't want law enforcement to ease up on arresting criminals, nor do they want judges to violate due process, but the budget needs some relief.

Ziegenhorn has suggested house arrest using shackles and GPS monitoring for nonviolent criminals, a solution he still advocates.

The dilemma the county faces is an odd one, Ziegenhorn said. "The problem we've got is everybody's doing their job and doing it well."

msanders@semissourian.com

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