OFFICIALS MUST COOPERATE TO CUT NEW JAIL COSTS

West Virginia had two choices regarding its 55 antiquated, overcrowded
county jails. It could continue to ignore the problem. Or it could build a
network of new, modern regional jails. Fortunately, the state chose the
latter course.

When the new Western Regional Jail in Barboursville is completed in
December, it will house prisoners from Cabell, Wayne, Putnam, Lincoln and
Mason counties. As reported elsewhere in The Herald-Dispatch today, the new
jail will mean big -- and costly -- changes in the way jail prisoners are
handled here.

An audit done in the 1980s by the U.S. Department of Justice found only one
county jail in the state that met federal standards.

"Without the regional jail plan moving forward, nearly every county in this
state would have a federal lawsuit on its hands for not meeting standards,"
says Steve Canterbury, executive director of the state Regional Jail Authority.

So the regional jail meets a real need -- the question is how to cover the
increased costs. For Cabell County, the $45-per-day fee it will have to pay
for each prisoner at the new jail will be more than twice what it now costs
to house prisoners in its own jail.

The key surely is sending fewer prisoners to the regional jail by finding
alternatives, such as a day reporting center or expanded use of home
confinement.

To his credit, Sheriff Kim Wolfe and his staff have been putting in long
hours searching for ways to make that happen. It's a critically important
task, one that deserves the fullest possible cooperation by county
commissioners, judges and all involved.