MONROE - For three months in the fall, the Green County Sheriff's Department had to send prisoners to another county due to the high number of inmates.
It was the first time the department sent prisoners to another county since an addition was built to the jail in 1981, Green County Sheriff Randy Roderick said.
The Green County Sheriff's Department has to pay to house prisoners in other county jails. Green County housed about 5 prisoners a month in Lafayette County last fall at a cost of $45 per day. It cost the county about $700 to house the prisoners in Lafayette County last year. The department also housed prisoners in Lafayette County in January.
Roderick said Lafayette County had room for the prisoners, but if it didn't, he would have to negotiate with other counties to house Green County's prisoners.
Roderick said he didn't know why the number of inmates increased last fall.
But, he's not going to panic; Roderick stressed he's not looking to build onto the jail.
"I've seen the number (of inmates) fluctuate in the past," he said.
The number of prisoners at the jail in March was about 45.
In 2007, the jail averaged 48 prisoners a month, while in 2006 the average monthly population was 43.
In comparison, in 2001, Roderick said, the jail population was at 58 prisoners in November and 57 in December, and the average monthly population for the year was 53. In 2002, only January and February had a monthly population of more than 50. The average monthly inmate population was 46 for the year.
In 2008, the number of prisoners jumped from 55 a month in September to 64 in October. There was an average of 60 inmates in the jail in November and 62 in December. In January 2009 there was an average of 65 inmates in the jail. The Green County Jail can house up to 68 prisoners.
Roderick said when the number of prisoners reaches 60, the jail is considered at capacity. That's due to how the prisoners are housed. There were times last fall when some prisoners slept on the floor, but the department can only allow prisoners to sleep on the floor for a few days before it has to find beds for them.
Some people may think a prisoner can be placed in any cell at the jail, but that isn't true, Roderick explained.
The prisoners have to be segregated.
Roderick said there are three classifications for prisoners at the jail, minimum, medium and maximum security. How a prisoner is classified depends on several factors that include such things as whether the prisoner poses a danger to others and if the prisoner has been convicted of a crime and waiting to be sentenced.
Prisoners also have to be separated by sex. Men and women can't be held in the same area, Roderick said.
In 2008, there were 854 people in the jail throughout the year, he said. Of that total, 720 were males and 134 were females.
"We have to place the men and women in separate cell blocks," he said.
That can create problems as prisons must be moved to other areas of the jail to make room, he added.
It was the first time the department sent prisoners to another county since an addition was built to the jail in 1981, Green County Sheriff Randy Roderick said.
The Green County Sheriff's Department has to pay to house prisoners in other county jails. Green County housed about 5 prisoners a month in Lafayette County last fall at a cost of $45 per day. It cost the county about $700 to house the prisoners in Lafayette County last year. The department also housed prisoners in Lafayette County in January.
Roderick said Lafayette County had room for the prisoners, but if it didn't, he would have to negotiate with other counties to house Green County's prisoners.
Roderick said he didn't know why the number of inmates increased last fall.
But, he's not going to panic; Roderick stressed he's not looking to build onto the jail.
"I've seen the number (of inmates) fluctuate in the past," he said.
The number of prisoners at the jail in March was about 45.
In 2007, the jail averaged 48 prisoners a month, while in 2006 the average monthly population was 43.
In comparison, in 2001, Roderick said, the jail population was at 58 prisoners in November and 57 in December, and the average monthly population for the year was 53. In 2002, only January and February had a monthly population of more than 50. The average monthly inmate population was 46 for the year.
In 2008, the number of prisoners jumped from 55 a month in September to 64 in October. There was an average of 60 inmates in the jail in November and 62 in December. In January 2009 there was an average of 65 inmates in the jail. The Green County Jail can house up to 68 prisoners.
Roderick said when the number of prisoners reaches 60, the jail is considered at capacity. That's due to how the prisoners are housed. There were times last fall when some prisoners slept on the floor, but the department can only allow prisoners to sleep on the floor for a few days before it has to find beds for them.
Some people may think a prisoner can be placed in any cell at the jail, but that isn't true, Roderick explained.
The prisoners have to be segregated.
Roderick said there are three classifications for prisoners at the jail, minimum, medium and maximum security. How a prisoner is classified depends on several factors that include such things as whether the prisoner poses a danger to others and if the prisoner has been convicted of a crime and waiting to be sentenced.
Prisoners also have to be separated by sex. Men and women can't be held in the same area, Roderick said.
In 2008, there were 854 people in the jail throughout the year, he said. Of that total, 720 were males and 134 were females.
"We have to place the men and women in separate cell blocks," he said.
That can create problems as prisons must be moved to other areas of the jail to make room, he added.