Public Safety Facility data backs positive performance
NORWICH – Recent data comparing New York’s county jails puts Chenango County’s new Public Safety Facility ahead of the pack when it comes to the percentage of sentenced inmates and numbers farmed in.
“Overall, for the short time we’ve been open, we are doing pretty good in comparison to other counties,” Sheriff Thomas J. Loughren said.
During October, 68 percent jailed in the Town of Norwich facility were fully-sentenced. Though the Sheriff’s Office would prefer the number to be higher (housing unsentenced criminals is “a drain on system,” Loughren said), Chenango County’s rate surpasses all of the other jails in the surrounding counties.
Only 23.8 percent of the inmates in Broome County’s jail, 30 percent in Otsego’s, 36.7 percent in Cortland’s and 38 percent in Delaware’s were actually sentenced criminals. The rest were awaiting trial. Madison County’s jail came close with 57.5 percent.
Chenango County’s percentage dropped to 66.7 percent in November and then 50.9 percent in December; however it still remains the highest in the surrounding counties by almost 20 percent. Loughren said judges historically put off court sentencing until after the Christmas holidays. He expected the number sentenced to go back up by the end of the month.
Though Loughren praised the hard work of Chenango County District Attorney Joseph A. McBride, he pointed out that farmed-in inmates are generally sentenced criminals and the county jail takes in a lot of them. “Usually they don’t send me unsentenced people, because they just have to come back and get them for trial,” he said.
Chenango County has been beefing up its practice of farming in prisoners to offset operational expenses. Forty-eight were farmed-in in October, 35 in November and 14 in December. The only other nearby penal institution farming-in was Delaware County with 16 in October, 11 in November and nine in December.
Most of the out-of-county prisoners come from Tompkins, Cortland, Sullivan and Suffolk counties. The Broome County Jail is currently under expansion in order to take in more out-of-county prisoners.
The average length of stay (jail days) for the pretrial population has decreased each year from 23.65 in 2003 to 15.5 in 2006. Probation Director Laureen Clarke said the county’s treatment court process is a factor. “Treatment court seems to be working. The program numbers and audition numbers are lowering the jailed numbers, however there may be other factors that I’m unaware of,” she said.
The new correctional facility currently has room for 133 inmates, and with double bunkbeds currently being installed, Loughren hopes to boost the capacity to 161. “I am going to maximize the use of this facility,” he said. The extra bunks will give the Sheriff the flexibility to take in different numbers of different classifications, like more women and juveniles.
Feeding and providing medical services to a higher number of inmates hasn’t come without cost, however. The Sheriff said that after much discussion, the prison population will begin eating food collectively purchased and meals cooked together with the Area Agency on Aging staff, who use the kitchen for its 60-Plus Program for seniors. The collaborative effort should offset some of the extra expense.
Staff Intern Trey Seifert contributed to this story.
“Overall, for the short time we’ve been open, we are doing pretty good in comparison to other counties,” Sheriff Thomas J. Loughren said.
During October, 68 percent jailed in the Town of Norwich facility were fully-sentenced. Though the Sheriff’s Office would prefer the number to be higher (housing unsentenced criminals is “a drain on system,” Loughren said), Chenango County’s rate surpasses all of the other jails in the surrounding counties.
Only 23.8 percent of the inmates in Broome County’s jail, 30 percent in Otsego’s, 36.7 percent in Cortland’s and 38 percent in Delaware’s were actually sentenced criminals. The rest were awaiting trial. Madison County’s jail came close with 57.5 percent.
Chenango County’s percentage dropped to 66.7 percent in November and then 50.9 percent in December; however it still remains the highest in the surrounding counties by almost 20 percent. Loughren said judges historically put off court sentencing until after the Christmas holidays. He expected the number sentenced to go back up by the end of the month.
Though Loughren praised the hard work of Chenango County District Attorney Joseph A. McBride, he pointed out that farmed-in inmates are generally sentenced criminals and the county jail takes in a lot of them. “Usually they don’t send me unsentenced people, because they just have to come back and get them for trial,” he said.
Chenango County has been beefing up its practice of farming in prisoners to offset operational expenses. Forty-eight were farmed-in in October, 35 in November and 14 in December. The only other nearby penal institution farming-in was Delaware County with 16 in October, 11 in November and nine in December.
Most of the out-of-county prisoners come from Tompkins, Cortland, Sullivan and Suffolk counties. The Broome County Jail is currently under expansion in order to take in more out-of-county prisoners.
The average length of stay (jail days) for the pretrial population has decreased each year from 23.65 in 2003 to 15.5 in 2006. Probation Director Laureen Clarke said the county’s treatment court process is a factor. “Treatment court seems to be working. The program numbers and audition numbers are lowering the jailed numbers, however there may be other factors that I’m unaware of,” she said.
The new correctional facility currently has room for 133 inmates, and with double bunkbeds currently being installed, Loughren hopes to boost the capacity to 161. “I am going to maximize the use of this facility,” he said. The extra bunks will give the Sheriff the flexibility to take in different numbers of different classifications, like more women and juveniles.
Feeding and providing medical services to a higher number of inmates hasn’t come without cost, however. The Sheriff said that after much discussion, the prison population will begin eating food collectively purchased and meals cooked together with the Area Agency on Aging staff, who use the kitchen for its 60-Plus Program for seniors. The collaborative effort should offset some of the extra expense.
Staff Intern Trey Seifert contributed to this story.
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