CABELL WILL SAVE ON JAILS WITH DAY REPORTING CENTER

The network of regional jails under construction is a long-overdue advance
over West Virginia's previous 55 county jails, many of them -- like the
Cabell County Jail -- antiquated and inadequate in size.

Nonetheless, from the outset of planning for the new Western Counties
Regional jail, now under construction and scheduled to open in 2003, Cabell
County officials have been concerned about the impact of the new lockup on
the county's budget. And understandably so.

The county estimates that it currently costs $26 to $27 a day to house a
prisoner in the county jail. When the new Western Regional Jail opens, the
county will be required to send its prisoners there and pay for housing
them. That current charge per day at the regional jails already open
elsewhere in the state is $43.25 a day.

Thus, it makes sense for the county to explore ways of limiting the impact
of the increase. One option may be to open what's called a "day reporting
center" for nonviolent offenders.

"Day reporting centers are the whole ball of wax," says Jim Johnson, county
jail administrator. "The goal is to put people in these programs and
rehabilitate them so they won't come back. If that happens, everyone is a
winner."

The county already has made successful use of home confinement, which
allows offenders to be monitored in their homes 24 hours a day with
electronic equipment. The new day reporting center would the next logical
step, especially for those offenders who spend much of their time in
counseling and/or community service.

It's estimated that the home confinement program last year saved the county
more than $200,000 in money that didn't have to be spent on jail prisoners.
Given the day reporting center's promise of additional savings, it's
certainly worth exploring.