Pubdate: Tue, 27 Nov 2001 Source: Herald-Dispatch, The (WV) Copyright: 2001 The Herald-Dispatch Contact: http://www.herald-dispatch.com/hdinfo/letters.html Website: http://www.hdonline.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1454 CABELL WILL SAVE ON JAILS WITH DAY REPORTING CENTER The network of regional jails under construction is a long-overdue advance over West Virginia's previous 55 county jails, many of them -- like the Cabell County Jail -- antiquated and inadequate in size. Nonetheless, from the outset of planning for the new Western Counties Regional jail, now under construction and scheduled to open in 2003, Cabell County officials have been concerned about the impact of the new lockup on the county's budget. And understandably so. The county estimates that it currently costs $26 to $27 a day to house a prisoner in the county jail. When the new Western Regional Jail opens, the county will be required to send its prisoners there and pay for housing them. That current charge per day at the regional jails already open elsewhere in the state is $43.25 a day. Thus, it makes sense for the county to explore ways of limiting the impact of the increase. One option may be to open what's called a "day reporting center" for nonviolent offenders. "Day reporting centers are the whole ball of wax," says Jim Johnson, county jail administrator. "The goal is to put people in these programs and rehabilitate them so they won't come back. If that happens, everyone is a winner." The county already has made successful use of home confinement, which allows offenders to be monitored in their homes 24 hours a day with electronic equipment. The new day reporting center would the next logical step, especially for those offenders who spend much of their time in counseling and/or community service. It's estimated that the home confinement program last year saved the county more than $200,000 in money that didn't have to be spent on jail prisoners. Given the day reporting center's promise of additional savings, it's certainly worth exploring. - --- MAP posted-by: Beth