Prisoner numbers down at county jail
NORWICH – The prisoner population across New York is decreasing, a reflection of reality in Chenango County as Sheriff Ernest Cutting begins to scrutinize his budget.
Only 75 criminals are incarcerated at the county jail, versus a daily average of 105. The jail’s capacity for approximately 130.
“We’re in a down slump,” said the sheriff. “I’m hoping it comes back up, as it usually does from July to December.”
The number includes nine out-of-county inmates who traditionally, at $85 per day, help afford operations and maintenance costs at the six-year-old Public Safety Facility on Upper Ravine Road in Norwich. As a result, the jail has taken in just $120,000 in prisoner charges after the first quarter through April 30. This year, budgeters projected $630,000 from the revenue stream, a number less than the $851,000 taken in last year, but more than the $562,000 in 2010.
Upon hearing Sheriff Cutting’s report last week, Safety and Rules Committee Chairman Jack Cook, R-Greene, said, “We have a long way to go.”
The boarders, federal prisoners mainly, stay a few days or up to six to eight months. Cutting said he is working with federal marshalls to try to get more.
Personnel problems and the resulting overtime and extra hire costs are also a concern for the Sheriff. Eighteen of 59 corrections officers have been out periodically since the beginning of the year, whether for illness, maternity, injuries or surgeries, including one officer who had an open heart operation and another who had an arm amputated.
The Sheriff is currently in the process of hiring four more officers.
Overtime was budgeted at $245,000 this year. Last year, the county spent about $280,000 in overtime.
Only 75 criminals are incarcerated at the county jail, versus a daily average of 105. The jail’s capacity for approximately 130.
“We’re in a down slump,” said the sheriff. “I’m hoping it comes back up, as it usually does from July to December.”
The number includes nine out-of-county inmates who traditionally, at $85 per day, help afford operations and maintenance costs at the six-year-old Public Safety Facility on Upper Ravine Road in Norwich. As a result, the jail has taken in just $120,000 in prisoner charges after the first quarter through April 30. This year, budgeters projected $630,000 from the revenue stream, a number less than the $851,000 taken in last year, but more than the $562,000 in 2010.
Upon hearing Sheriff Cutting’s report last week, Safety and Rules Committee Chairman Jack Cook, R-Greene, said, “We have a long way to go.”
The boarders, federal prisoners mainly, stay a few days or up to six to eight months. Cutting said he is working with federal marshalls to try to get more.
Personnel problems and the resulting overtime and extra hire costs are also a concern for the Sheriff. Eighteen of 59 corrections officers have been out periodically since the beginning of the year, whether for illness, maternity, injuries or surgeries, including one officer who had an open heart operation and another who had an arm amputated.
The Sheriff is currently in the process of hiring four more officers.
Overtime was budgeted at $245,000 this year. Last year, the county spent about $280,000 in overtime.
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