NEWS
Jail explores changing overcrowding issue
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by Darryl Schnell
Thursday, March 10, 2005
Efforts to deal with overcrowding in the Dane County Jail, which include the need to relocate inmates to neighboring jails around the state, will cost Dane County taxpayers more than $1 million a year, according to Sheriff Gary Hamblin
Hamblin said overcrowding in the jail is dangerous for both inmates and officers.
“Overcrowding has an adverse impact on inmates and deputies,” Hamblin said. “The big thing we’re trying to protect is safety of the inmates — who should not be packed into the jail like sardines — and the deputies whose job is to monitor them.”
According to Hamblin, Dane is the fastest-growing county in the state of Wisconsin. This fact presents a problem for the jail, he added.
Hamblin said the increasing population of Dane County has put a lot of strain on the jail. A small percentage of the people who move to Dane County will inevitably need to be restrained in the jail, he added.
Hamblin said he has made efforts to better utilize the limited space of the jail.
“I’ve asked the State Department of Corrections to use probation sentencing whenever they can and to allow parole whenever possible. This has reduced the number of inmates in the Dane County Jail by 35 percent,” Hamblin said.
According to Hamblin, the jail has a contract with the U.S. Marshals Service allowing them to use 30 cells.
However, this contract had sometimes been violated and the U.S. Marshals Service would use up to 70 of the Dane County Jail cells. Since overcrowding became a problem, the 30-cell limit for the U.S. Marshals Service has been strictly enforced.
These efforts have not rid the jail of enough inmates to maintain safety. Hamblin has resorted to moving inmates to neighboring jails, which costs taxpayers millions of dollars, he added.
“The cost is significant for taxpayers,” Hamblin said. “Neighboring jails charge $47 to $52 a day to house our inmates — that does not even include transportation or medical treatment.”
Dane County Sheriff Department’s Public Information Officer Elise Schaffer said the department has already spent more than $184,000 to house inmates in neighboring jails this year. An average of 40 Dane County inmates were housed in other jails every day in 2004, she added.
Hamblin said he has asked county officials every year since 1997 to provide funds to build a new, larger jail.
“The Dane County Jail is 50 years old. Not only are there overcrowding problems, but the jail presents other problems as well. Our deputies cannot monitor inmates without actually being in the cells with them,” Hamblin said.
According to Hamblin, the county has ignored his requests to fund a new Dane County Jail. The county has instead decided to focus on funding programs to stop crime, he said, which will decrease the need for more jail space. Hamblin added nobody really wants to spend money on jails.
County officials are naíve if they think funding programs to stop crime will effectively decrease jail crowding, Hamblin said. Programs to stop crime are expensive, Hamblin added, and he would prefer to see the money spent on a new jail.
“The bottom line is it’s going to be expensive,” Hamblin said. “There’s no quick, easy or cheap way to do it.”
