State Shirks Its Share of Jail Operations

It’s an old story. But in these tough budget times for localities, the state must uphold its share of the load. That isn’t happening at the Amherst County jail, where crowded conditions are caused in part by the state’s refusal to accept state prisoners.

Sheriff Jimmy Ayers says it’s a financial burden on the county. Perhaps worse, he says, is the safety risk for county residents.

State law requires the transfer of convicted felons to state facilities within 90 days of their sentencing. But officials at regional jails and the state Department of Corrections concede that the law is rarely enforced.

Ayers said last week that the safety issue is real because of the threat an inmate poses after conviction. “Offenders are generally more compliant awaiting trial,” he said. “After they are sentenced, the hope (for not being convicted) is gone, so the risk of escape is greater.”

The jail in Amherst has an operating capacity for 50, but currently houses 69 inmates. Seven belong in the state system, and have been awaiting transfer by the Department of Corrections for months.

The sheriff says that any complaints to the state system fall on deaf ears. “I don’t know what the DOC is thinking,” he added.

Financial issues only add to the problems at the jail. Ayers said state compensation to the jails is already inadequate and budget cuts threaten to lower that compensation even further in the coming two years. He said the state compensation board plans to slash the Sheriff Office’s budget by 23 percent.

And if that happens, guess who will make up the difference? Amherst County taxpayers.

Ayers pointed out that state standards limit how much he can cut from the county jail’s budget, which is currently about $2 million a year. The $14 a day he gets from the state for each inmate awaiting transfer barely scratches the surface of the costs involved in housing the prisoners.

The most expensive items involved in keeping the jail running are food and medical expenses, which are set by state standards. “We can’t change state standards,” he said. And if he tried to reduce the care or the costs in those areas, the state, surely, would call him on the carpet for not complying with those standards.

While jails in Amherst and elsewhere around the state are dealing with crowded conditions, the corrections department has sealed a $20 million deal with Pennsylvania to bring 1,000 inmates to Green Rock Correctional Center near Chatham.

How can the state justify bringing prisoners in from other states to fill prison beds while jails like the one in Amherst are so crowded?

A spokesman for the department said the money will allow more transfers of state prisoners from local jails. Using some unusual math, he said it would free up 100 beds for Virginia inmates.

Nonetheless, state law is clear on the subject of transferring convicted felons from local jails to the state prison system. That law is not being enforced. The reason obviously relates to the budget shortfalls that have affected every operation of state government.

But Sheriff Ayers, and many other local sheriffs who face the same problem, deserve an explanation from the state why that law is not being followed. The taxpayers of the localities involved would also like to hear that explanation.