Tight quarters: Space, funding both issues for county jail

By Ronica Shannon

The Madison County Detention Center originally was designed to accommodate 120 to 130 inmates, but jailer Ron Devere was responsible for almost 300 of them as of Friday afternoon. As the population increases, most of the funding needed to meet the needs of the growing number of inmates is being cut on all levels.

“The more people you have, the more crime you have, and this county’s growing,” he said.

Devere has served as Madison County Jailer for the past 17 years, and said whoever fills the position next has a real challenge on his or her hands.

The jail’s square footage has not changed despite the growing inmate population, and the annual operating budget has been cut at federal, state and county levels.

The state took over all juvenile inmates several years ago, who usually were kept in county jails for an elevated per diem of $90 to $100 per day.

This was just the beginning of the Madison County Detention Centerís funding decline.

Devere said he has no other choice but to implement fee increases that are expected to be in place by Dec. 1.

The most recent hard-hitting financial decrease came this year when the state allotment for inmate medical treatment was not given to the county.

That particular revenue line item has decreased over the past several years, going from $20,000 to $17,500 to nothing this year, Devere said.

“Medication is a big expense,” he said.

The funding helped pay for a roughly $20,000 annual contract for a physician to accommodate inmates’ medical needs, he said.

The money flowing into the jail may have decreased, but the cost of daily operation is only rising, Devere said.

“Our utilities haven’t gone down,” he said. “Our food bills haven’t gone down. It’s costing us more to hold more inmates, and we’re getting less.”

The Madison Fiscal Court transferred a reported $2,128,750 from its 2009-10 fiscal year general fund to constitute the jail’s annual fund.

County funding actually has increased when compared to previous years. The court adopted the 2008-2009 fiscal year budget that included a $2,069,500 transfer from the countyís general fund.

This was the most money ever to be transferred from the county’s general fund, according to county treasurer Glenna Baker, who said the jail is considered to be the county’s largest expense.

This amount is made up of funding from several different areas, including a state jail allotment of $229,000.

The total estimated revenue for the jail during the 2009-10 fiscal year is $1,268,750.

The jail receives $31.34 for each state inmate per day, and that price usually increases year to year based on cost of living increases, but the amount has not been raised in about two years, Devere said.

There also are several fees that the inmates must attempt to pay themselves.

Each inmate is charged a $20 booking fee upon arrival, a $20-per-day lodging fee and work-release inmates must pay $20 for each day they go out, Devere said.

It would be a great deal of help financially if all of these fees were paid each year, but that is simply not realistic, he said.

“We can’t hold them in jail if they can’t pay the fees,” he said. “If we collect 50 percent of the debt that’s owed, we’re doing well.”

Those serving weekend jail time Friday through Sunday must pay about $80 each weekend.

The jail gets a telephone commission fee every time a person accepts a collect call from a detention center inmate.

“If you accept that call, it goes on your telephone bill,” Devere said. “The jail gets 55 percent commission for that call on a direct line.”

If an inmate purchases a phone card from the jail’s commissary, the jail gets a 50-percent commission return, he said.

Telephone commission fees generally bring in an average of $8,000 a month in revenue.

Despite these forms of revenue, Devere said he unfortunately is left with only one choice.

“I’m stuck,” he said. “I can raise my fees, and think I’m going to have to do that. I think we have a duty to generate more revenue.”

A few examples of the increased inmate fees, which should be in place by Dec. 1, are $40 for booking, $30 a day for housing and inmates wishing to participate in the work release program must pay $30 a day for each day they leave the jail to work.

The increased fees at the Madison County Detention Center will remain equal or lower than the fees at most other jails in the state, he said.



Ronica Shannon can be reached at rshannon@richmondregister.com or 624-6608.

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