By Chris Morris
The News and Tribune
FLOYD COUNTY, Ind. — By 2030, the average number of inmates housed in the Floyd County Jail will be 642. The number of beds needed will be 737.
Now, the Floyd County Commissioners have to consider several options, from increasing the capacity of the current jail, to building a new one.
Paul Downing, a criminal justice planner with DLZ Indiana, LLC., presented his study to the Floyd County Commissioners Tuesday. He said the final numbers are high, and explained how the daily number of inmates can be slashed.
“On the surface I think those numbers are high,” Downing said of the 2030 projections which follow current trends.
One of the areas he said should be studied are the inmates who fall under the failure to appear category. He said in 2007, Floyd County had 492 inmates charged with failure to appear.
The 47-page report, which is expected to be finalized in two weeks, studied 12 different areas. It also looked at trends from 2003 to 2007.
During that period, the average number of inmates is 198 with a high of 265 in 2006. That has decreased to 255 in 2007.
Since 2004, the average length of stay for inmates is five days.
Downing proposed several recommendations before commissioners decide whether to build a jail or increase the capacity of the current one.
Those recommendations include: forming a Local Criminal Justice Coordinating Committee to meet weekly to study the jail population and the plans to reduce the population; develop a failure to appear notification program; recommend inviting Robert Ohlemiller, an expert in probation and community corrections, for consulting purposes; and consider contracting with Melinda Haag of Maximus Corp. who has worked with Lake County to successfully reduce the jail population.
Copyright 2008 The News and Tribune