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REGIONAL JAIL CHARGES RISING AGAIN - Counties Facing Major Bucks |
| (11/08/2003) |
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West Virginia Regional Jail Authority Executive Director Steve Canterbury has announced plans to increase the daily fee
counties pay to house prisoners in the regional jail system. The increase would raise the cost for counties lodging prisoners in regional jails from the current $45 a day per prisoner to $48 a day, according to Canterbury. In the past, Regional Jail costs have created significant problems for Calhoun County, with an unpaid bill rising to over $100,000. The county commission has managed to pay the bill off, and is currently holding the bill to a manageable level, with the help of home sentencing programs. Canterbury said the increase is a "necessity," adding the cost to house prisoners in West Virginia is still far below the national average, which he estimated at $70 a day. Ohio County would be paying over $1 million in jail fees. "Workers comp has gone up and our inmate medical contract has gone up. We were operating on a three-year-old contract that just ran out, and costs have gone up since then. Our lowest bid (for a new contract) was over 15 percent higher than before," said Canterbry. He said inmates are coming into the jails in worse health. "Even with the most basic care, its really expensive," Canterbury said. Canterbury said Northern Panhandle counties do have an advantage over other areas of the state - an alternative sentencing program. He said the Day Report Center, a rehabilitation center servicing local counties, has provided these counties with a means sentencing first-time or non-violent offenders without tying up money in the regional jail system. Many times judges will sentence an offender to a specific jail term, but suspend this sentence, place the individual on home confinement and require them to attend rehabilitation at the report center. If the offender violates any terms of this agreement then the original sentence is imposed. Calhoun County has been looking into alternative sentencing programs.
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