County Jail Population Dropping

In her monthly address to the Highlands County Board of County Commissioners, Sheriff Susan Benton told the board the jail population is down largely due to streamlining the process.

Detention Maj. David Paeplow said Wednesday afternoon the population was down to 409 active inmates.

"It's hard to attribute it to any one thing," Paeplow said. "A lot of inmates have been sentenced to prison in the last six weeks."

He said jail staff has been working with the judges, the clerk of the courts office and the state's attorney's office to get the paperwork done faster, to get the violation of probation cases before the court and processed.

The Pretrial Release Program has been working about the same, he said.

Then there are natural cycles of inmate population as well.

"We've been meeting, seeing how to get these cases moved through," he said. "I'd like to attribute some of it to that. It's been a collaborative effort between us all."

The jail processes about 7,000 inmates a year, he said.

"We really haven't seen less people coming in, so it's not that," Paeplow said.

Just to compare, on Aug. 13, 2007, there were 461 inmates, compared to the 409 in jail on Wednesday. On July 13, 2007, there were 456, compared to 433 the same day in 2008. On June 13, 2007 there were 478 compared to 469 the same date this year. And on May 13, 2007 there were 473 compared to 490 on May 13 this year.

The jail has 512 beds and crossed the 514 mark in June. So the population drop appears to have been mostly in the last two months.

In a recent interview, Paeplow told Highlands Today that the jail has not had any outside inmates from other jails since November or December of last year. Bringing in inmates from other facilities is a way the jail has made some extra money in the past.

"If (the population) stays down that's something we may consider," he said.

Obviously it's less work for all concerned to watch fewer inmates, Paeplow said, but while there are some cost savings in food, water and medical bills, the staffing requirements remain about the same.

The jail will use the reduced number of inmates to do some renovations in one of its housing units. The jail needs to upgrade some electronic door operating systems, which will cost $100,000, he said.