A Sacramento Bee editorial today proposes that Sacramento County reduce the number of federal inmates it houses at its main jail to save money.
The feds pay $100 per day per inmate while it costs the county $112 per day per inmate. In other words, every day the County loses $12 for every federal inmate at the jail. In light of California's realignment plan, the county has to find somewhere to place 1,100 state inmates. Existing proposals include using space freed when a state contract expires, screening pretrial detainees for release, and increased use of home detention (though inexplicably nothing for the Ascend alternative sentencing program, see my 10/18 post, "How about some pocket change for rehabilitation?").
The Bee recommends another "obvious solution" not among the existing proposals: "reduce the number of federal inmates. The contract is flexible, requiring no minimum numbers. Why not go back to levels of a decade ago to free up to 200 or more beds?"
