FARMINGTON – Commissioners continue to look at the future of the Franklin County Jail, meeting Wednesday with members of a Board of Corrections subcommittee.
One proposal, which is now under consideration, is to convert the jail from a standard, 9-month corrections facility into a 72-hour holding facility. This would save a considerable amount of money, as holding facilities are not required to provide the same range of medical and food services. Inmates who used to be housed in Franklin County would likely be moved to Somerset County’s facility, if that county agreed.
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Representatives for the BOC Needs/Inventory Subcommittee have been meeting with the commissioners and Sheriff Dennis Pike. Their discussions have centered around the potential benefits and challenges of a 72-hour holding facility.
The entire discussion began soon after Governor John Baldacci, in 2007, announced that the correctional facilities operations would be consolidated across the state in an effort to save money and increase efficiencies within the system. However, some commissioners have criticized the decision, saying that it has created more problems than it fixed.
The financial piece is obviously a major consideration. In addition to saving money on things like medical expenses, a 72-hour facility, BOC representative Ralph Nichols believes, will not need as large a staff to safely run the jail.
He pointed to data collected by the subcommittee; of the 1,174 people admitted into Franklin County Jail in 2008, a total of 916 were released within 72 hours. Those inmates served a total of 1,108 days in detention. The remaining inmates served longer than 72 hours, and would need to be transported from the holding facility to Somerset County.
Nichols pointed out that those statistics indicated an average population of 3 to 4 people a day, had Franklin County Jail been a 72-hour holding facility in 2008. That sort of population required a detention staff of only two full-time corrections officers to operate the facility, Nichols said. Part-time corrections officers, as well as sheriff’s department personnel, could assist if needed.
He also pointed out that a holding facility was different than a longer-term jail, in that the inmates were pretty much isolated and contained throughout their entire stay.
“It’s a lock-down facility,” he said. “You’re not having people out walking around all over. It’s a more minimal work load.”
Medical services, which totals $77,250 in the 2010 Franklin County Jail budget, would not required. Instead, the county would rely on emergency services in the advent of a major medical incident. Food services, which totals $134,050 in the 2010 budget, paying for both the actual food and support staff, could be provided through a local vendor for a fraction of the cost.
The Needs/Inventory subcommittee have calculated the cost of redistributing Franklin County’s inmate population to Somerset County’s facility at $187,048 in 2010.
However, the plan has other impacts as well. Since the facility could be run with fewer personnel, corrections officers and some support staff could lose their jobs. This has been a concern of both the jail staff and commissioners. The subcommittee has said that they hope that retirements and other natural job changes will minimize the impact but they stressed that layoffs were certainly possible.
Pike pointed to other concerns. Many inmates, through a community service program, provide valuable “free” manpower for 15 local towns. Pike estimated that the change would result in a loss to the town of Farmington of $49,000 in paying to have jobs completed that inmates had at one point done for free.
Nichols said that there were options, such as transporting local prisoners back to the county for the 72 hours so they could participate, or employing inmates on home release.
There also remains the question of who garners the savings should the change go through. Commissioners are trying to put together their own plan with the BOC for the facility now. On July 1, the state will begin a new, two-year fiscal period. After that point the budget for the jail will be locked and any future savings, such as those generated through going to a 72-hour holding facility, will be shared throughout the DOC system. Commissioners would prefer to generate their own plan and put it into place before July 1, allowing savings the plan creates to stay in-county. Any such plan would require the approval of the state, which has the final say on such matters.
“We’re trying to get ahead of the curve now,” Commissioner Gary McGrane, of Jay, said at an earlier meeting. “
We can see the handwriting on the wall.”
The commissioners will continue to study the issue.
“The subcommittee has said that they hope that retirements and other natural job changes will minimize the impact but they stressed that layoffs were certainly possible.”
This article does not even begin to convey the job loss aspect. Retirements?? There is one officer of retirement age. Natural job changes?? In this economy? You’ve got to be kidding. Layoffs are more than “certainly possible.” They are a given with this plan. It would be nice if that was reflected in the article.