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Thursday, April 7, 2005

County May Put Inmates in Tents

By Beth Hahn
Mountain View Telegraph
    Some Torrance County inmates could be sleeping under the stars soon, but don't count on seeing them work in pink jumpsuits or eat green bologna.
    County Manager Bob Ayre said officials are considering housing inmates outside in a tent, much like the controversial "tent city jail" in Maricopa County, Ariz.
    Arizona's version includes chain gangs, pink clothing and 20-cent meals that consist largely of green-dyed bologna. Inmates live behind razor-wire fences and only have two channels of cable television available.
    Torrance County Undersheriff Roy Dennis said the tent city jail is just one option the county is exploring for cutting costs in its jail fund.
    Housing inmates in surplus Army tents would help beleaguered Torrance County save money on incarceration funds, according to Ayre.
    "We've gone through our entire incarceration budget and we have no money," Ayre said during an interview Monday afternoon.
    Torrance County had budgeted about $1 million to house inmates during the 2004-05 fiscal year, but has exceeded that amount by almost $900,000.
    Ayre said the idea has been considered for some time, because of the budget crunch faced by the county. He estimated Torrance County could save up to $30,000 a month by housing inmates in a tent near Estancia rather than at the private Torrance County Detention Facility, operated by Corrections Corporation of America.
    Housing the inmates at the CCA facility costs about $48 a day for males and $52 for females.
    Dennis said the partnership with CCA has worked well but the county needs to save money.
    "It's no ill reflection on CCA," he said.
    Although the plan is in the early stages, Dennis said only certain inmates would qualify for the tent housing and that the program could only take place in fair weather.
    "Only certain inmates would qualify," he said. "They would be low-risk, nonviolent offenders. Maybe some DWI, maybe some white-collar (offenders)."
    Ayre said he asked the Torrance County Sheriff's Department to put together a budget proposal for housing inmates in tents.
    Both Ayre and Dennis cautioned that housing inmates in tents is just one of several options the county is exploring to reduce its jailing costs.