Maybe Sedgwick County’s faith in Justice Concepts Inc. will have been justified in the long run, by getting the jail population numbers under control. Maybe its work really will be “the most important thing to happen to Sedgwick County,” as County Commissioner Gwen Welshimer boldly predicted. And maybe commissioners’ additional assignments are to blame for extending the consultant’s work beyond the June 4 expiration of the contract. But the bottom line is that the consultant hasn’t reduced the jail population or even turned in recommendations and reports, yet the county is poised to give the firm $37,000 more on its $124,000 contract. Doing so may be necessary, but it will only further public doubts about local governments’ reliance on outside consultants.
Registered?
Commenting on WE Blog now requires you to be a Kansas.com member. Use the links above to register, if you haven't already, or to log in.Contact us
Follow us
Daily Archives
-
Recent Comments
- BlueJay on Open thread 11/24
- Regular on Open thread 11/24
- DavidB on Open thread 11/24
- okobserver on Open thread 11/24
- okobserver on Open thread 11/24
- BlueJay on Open thread 11/24
- politicalmama on Open thread 11/24
- politicalmama on Open thread 11/24
- cosmos_originally on Open thread 11/24
- okobserver on Open thread 11/24
15 Comments
I was told a few years ago by a Kansas legislator who was in a position to know … the average annual cost of incarceration of inmates in Kansas prisons such as Lansing, Eldorado and Hutchinson is more than $20,000 per year per inmate. Probably now more like $25,000 per year.
Also because the State of Kansas is not adding new prisons even though the number of inmates continues to increase, the overflow is bucked back to the County jails such as here in Sedgwick County.
Another factor, which I can’t explain adequately, which needs examination, is a claim that Kansas is the only state that doesn’t receive reimbursement from the federal government because of some inadequacy of conforming to federal requirements.
A major comparison is the much larger amount of money it takes to house state prisoners as compared to educating our Kansas young people in K-12 schools.
This issue is much bigger than some inadequate consultant failing to do his job. This needs very smart people to examine this entire repugnant issue.
2 suggestions among many:
No more cable TV.
Start enforcing the death penalty.
That should clean house.
Obviously the death penalty doesn’t apply to SG County Jail.
Another cost cutter:
No more American made “shanks”, all shanks shall now be imported from China.
**I know China doesn’t provide the same stabbing quality as a good ole American shank, but these are tough times.
Half the people in jail and prison shouldn’t even be their in the first place that would be a start
TomPaine,
I am always upset when I read the news and see someone getting 20 years for a zip lock bag of pot, then on the next page a murderer or child rapist gets 10 years- probably out in 5.
Whiskey Tango Foxtrot?
The difference between jail and prison is the question of guilt. If the system works as it should there will be more in jail then prison. The average citizen would be shock about how easy it is to end up in jail, you do not need to have actually violated a law. It is after that when the court system decides if there is a reason for you to continue to be held. It can take up to at least 7 days depending on the back load and then the level of proof is not that great in order to be held.
We as law abiding citizens want those who violate the law to be held accountable. DUI went from dealing with the loveable drunk to the mindless killer of the innocent. It put a real hardship on the system and increasing of the time each spent in jail. Finally a standard sentencing and handling of those putted up for DUI was established. The question becomes as to whether we the society want every crime punished or taken as a serious matter?
So the county is paying 124,000 for a consultant? here’s the thing that bothers me the jail literally a hundred feet from the courthouse the County Commissioners could walk over to the jail get a tour and see for themselves jail conditions and that shouldn’t cost anything
here’s the thing that bothers me the jail literally a hundred feet from the courthouse the County Commissioners could walk over to the jail get a tour and see for themselves jail conditions and that shouldn’t cost anything
=======================================
Oddly, this seems to be a little known fact:
The Government is massively inefficient!
WD, as a personal ancendote I can tell you that people are often arrested for out write stupid reasons. I was arrested once for having a bench warrant for headlight ticket I forgot to fix a decade earlier, stupid on my part yes, but was it worth spending the weekend in jail? the same warrant sweep that nabbed me they got a 25 year old who had jaywalking charge he got when he was 16, another who didn’t tag his dog, 4-5 other such frivolous charges
After I came back from OKla and having spent over five years working in the old jail. It was a simple matter for me to ask to tour the new jail. Compared to the old jail the new one was like a five star hotel.
But then the old jail was a disaster, build in 1957 to hold 145 inmates and when I had left it the count was 350 inmates. I am for humane conditions since I know how easy it is to end up being taken to jail.
YES you, I or Regular can one day wake in a cell and have lived a good and righteous law abiding life.
Here is something to keep in mind as to conditions of a jail, it is not about the eases or living Hell a jail is.
It is about the one factor that the average wino has that the average inmate does not. I concluded it one day waiting for a light to change. I saw a wino standing at the cross walk suffering from indecision.
First starting to the South then the West, only to change once again and start to the North then back East.
He did this for the entire time I was waiting for the light to change.
He had the freedom to be indecisive, to chose which way he would walk and any direction he chose the freedom to walk till he fell over. The inmates do not have those choices, their walk is limited and their choices too. Whether they like where they are or not is not solved by simply changing the direction they face. That wino was one up on any inmate in the County jail. Man can adapt to confinement much like a animal in the zoo. For both it is not the conditions of the cage that cause either to pace back and forth.
TP you had to pay a fine and cost to get out right? Would you have paid it if not for having gone to jail?
I understand what you are saying, Lord only knows how many I had seen coming to jail for the same reasons. As I had lost count there was just that many. Some solely because it was a pay off and they had the money walking in the door. They stayed only long enough for a warrant officer to come down and write a receipt.
One of the most sadly comical incidents I witnessed involve just that. The man owed fifty dollars and was stopped. He did not have the money on him and called his wife and overhearing the one side of the that conversation. I understood what happen afterwards. He berated her, accused her of being the stupidest life support system for a female body part he ever met. But because he needed the fifty dollars he told her the combination for the wall safe. Which he said had over a hundred thousand dollars in so she was to count closely till she only had fifty dollars.
The hours passed, he finally after making even a call to his attorney whom he owed tens of thousand of dollars to. To every person he knew and had done business with, finally he went upstairs failing to find one person who would bring him fifty dollars to get out of jail. Should we say he reaped what he had sown?
the Judge gave me a OR bond and a court date and all charges were dismissed cause they were 10 years old
Doing so may be necessary, but…
==================================================
So, which is it? Holman croaks one way, then the other. If it’s necessary, what’s the point of the blather.
Good for you TP, it took some time but in a sense justice was served. LOL one guy had to go back and get a judge to sign a paper so he could get his drivers license back.
The judge took one look and said “I remember you…360 days in jail!”. He was led out all the time stuttering “but.. but but.”.
Five hours later finally the court clerk came with a release and said he got it straighten out.
As you might guess when the Police Serves Officer said he could leave he ran out the door without stopping to get his property. They shouted “Hey here is your stuff!” to which he shouted back, “Mail it to me!”.