Monday, February 25, 2008
West Virginia House Judiciary Committee Attempting To Help County Governments With Regional Jail Bill.
A West Virginia House Judiciary Committee has drafted three different pieces of legislation that would attempt to ease the financial burden of county governments that pay for the incarceration of prisoners to the Regional Jail Authority.
The first bill would allow counties to hire retired or former magistrates for up to six months to handle bail hearings when there elected magistrates are off duty.
The second would shift more of the cost to the state Division of Corrections for inmates who are convicted and sentenced.
The third bill requests the WV Supreme Court to commission a study of West Virginia’s incarcerations rates and costs.
Counties currently pay a rate of $ 47.50 per day to house inmates.
The regional jail fee has taken a hit on the budgets of all 55 counties.
Mingo County is one of only a handful of county governments that is currently debt free to the Regional Jail Authority.
Mingo County’s annual jail bill runs about $ 1.4 million .
The first bill would allow counties to hire retired or former magistrates for up to six months to handle bail hearings when there elected magistrates are off duty.
The second would shift more of the cost to the state Division of Corrections for inmates who are convicted and sentenced.
The third bill requests the WV Supreme Court to commission a study of West Virginia’s incarcerations rates and costs.
Counties currently pay a rate of $ 47.50 per day to house inmates.
The regional jail fee has taken a hit on the budgets of all 55 counties.
Mingo County is one of only a handful of county governments that is currently debt free to the Regional Jail Authority.
Mingo County’s annual jail bill runs about $ 1.4 million .
# posted by Joe Kinzer @ 3:46 PM 
