In a Dane County meeting, members approved the renewal of a five-year contract providing three detention facilities with health care.
Correct Care Solutions, a for-profit company, was the only company to bid on the job. Their policy states they will provide no more than $27 million dollars in care to inmates over the time of the contract.
Dane County Board member, Tim Kiefer, believes CCS can help inmates.
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“I met with the sheriff and spoke with him and he said that he is very happy with the service he has gotten from Correct Care Solutions,” Kiefer said.
In an earlier meeting the supervisors agreed the Sheriff, David Mahoney, is responsible for the care and well-being of not only the inmates but also the staff at the detention centers. The contract stated the amount of money spent each year is contingent on the number of inmates in the jails at that time, as well as annual inflation rates.
For 2018, the proposed budget is over $5 million with subsequent years nearing $6 million. CCS would continue to provide the facilities with X-rays, mental health and dental services. CCS said these services have been proved to show improvement in the attitudes of inmates and jail workers.
“The number of self-harm cases in our jail has dramatically decreased due to the initial assessment done at booking by Correct Care Solutions,” Mahoney said.
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Patrick Downing, a Dane County Board member, said this budget would allow staff to focus on more important tasks like watching inmates, resoliving any problems between them and supervising activities.
The resolution passed without any objection.
“We will have proper staffing to assist inmates with medical and mental health needs,” Mahoney said.
An ordinance to allow children onto the floor of the meeting space was introduced by supervisor and civil rights attorney, Carousel Bayrd.
Bayrd said in an earlier meeting a mother and board member had to leave in order to breastfeed her newborn. Bayrd said the mother therefore missed major components of the meeting.
“This isn’t a breastfeeding ordinance, this is a parenting ordinance so that when you bring your children here you can have them with you on the floor and parent them, bottle feed them and do what you need to do,” Bayrd said.
The ordinance discussed by Bayrd will be voted on in a later meeting.
