 |
| Does the release of jail inmates via bail and GPS Ankle Monitors really save the county money? |
There has been a push at the BCC to provide alternatives for Judges to utilize, if they so choose, to sending people to our Jail. For those Judges that want to control actions/locations of offenders but who are also cognizant of the costs of incarceration locally, we have a county program to pay for GPS ankle monitors and/or drug patches. The program was grant-funded, but the funds from the grant recently dried up.
According to one Judge with whom I spoke that wanted to put a person on a GPS ankle monitor and drug patch--he was told that "There is no more money available for this"
"That's ridiculous" I told him. "I'll fund it myself if necessary--out of my discretionary funds if need be."
So I asked the question of relevant staff. I mean, if the average cost of incarceration is $72 daily but an ankle monitor and drug patch combo is only roughly $10 dollars per day--is it not a no-brainer to fund the patches and GPS monitors to save money at the jail?
Apparently, the answer is not so simple.
The actual savings realized when a prisoner (one of 1500 or so) is removed from our jail is not actually $72 daily---it is more like $3.00 daily-for the cost of food. This is because the jail's hard, fixed costs are high in order to service a population so high--and no appreciable reduction in total fixed costs will be realized by releasing a single prisoner (except in cases where the prisoner requires high-dollar medicines or medical treatments). It would take several hundred fewer to realistically reduce fixed costs, close a pod, reduce staffing, etc.
So in the big picture, reducing one prisoner saves very little money for the jail, but actually costs the county money out of a different fund for the patches, ankle monitors, and electronic surveillance. And there is not currently a system that compels payment for these services by the released prisoners, nor is there currently a means-test or similar method in place to ensure those that can afford to pay for the monitoring actually pay.
According to one staffer with whom I spoke: "The grant [for GPS and patches] was for the purpose of providing funding for the patches to reduce our jail population." she continued "But the program did not reduce the jail population--our population actually remained consistent and we spent a lot
