COUNTY JAILS GETTING CROWDED

Most counties plan on building space for more prisoners

County sheriffs around Wisconsin have to be part magician when it comes to
using their jails these days either they have too many rabbits in the hat
or not enough. State statistics show county jails are housing nearly 11,500
inmates, compared to about 2,000 in 1978 and 6,000 in 1988.

Those same statistics show that more than a third of the county jails in
the state, 30 of 71, are at 100 percent or more capacity and that more than
40 of 71 counties are building or planning to build more jail space.
Menominee County does not have a jail.

State statistics show 11,127 inmates in county jails at the end of June.
That is 103 percent of the rated capacity of 10,829, according to Marty
Ordinans, director of the office of Detention Facilities, a division of the
state Department of Corrections.

Rock County Sheriff Howard Erickson and most other sheriffs around the
state blame their bulging inmate populations on more arrests, an increase
in the number of crimes that call for mandatory jail sentences and a
growing population of state prisoners being held for probation violations.

''There are now some crimes such as domestic abuse along with some drunk
driving cases that now require mandatory jail sentences,'' Erickson said.
''We also are now faced with jailing 17-year-olds in some cases.''

Sheriffs also feel there is a trickle-down effect of some judges sentencing
more people to serve time in county jails because of crowding in the
state's prisons, Erickson said.

State prison populations have reached a record of about 17,000 with
capacity for only about 13,000.

Additional cells are needed to house an inmate population that is expected
to top 25,000 by the time the 1999-2001 budget period ends, Department of
Corrections officials predict.

The state DOC is seeking a 20 percent increase in its budget for new
prisons, expansion of several of its present prisons and the rental of
4,500 additional beds which corrections officials believe may ease some of
the jail burden.

The problem of using county jails to house more prisoners held on probation
or parole violations may be resolved as the state starts looking at
regional sites to hold probation violators. The first such probation jail
is scheduled to open in Milwaukee.

Many sheriffs, however, see no relief in sight to their overcrowding
problems and are pushing ahead with plans for new jails or jail additions.

''Right now, we are hoping things will stabilize until we can complete
plans for expansion,'' Erickson said about his overcrowding situation. He
noted that he and other county officials predicted overcrowding during the
last county budget sessions and began planning for it.

For many years since moving into its present jail in 1987, Rock County has
had the luxury of renting jail space to other counties with crowding problems.

''We have collected $12.5 million in rentals from Kenosha County alone in
the past decade,'' Erickson said.

That all came to an end in May when the population exceeded its rated
capacity of 477 inmates.

''We had to turn down Kenosha and start rearranging our own prisoners,''
Erickson said.

Rock County plans to hire a jail study consultant and begin planning for
expansion. In the meantime, the county is making some adjustments to handle
current crowding.

Erickson has been working with state parole and probation agents to reduce
the number of state prisoners being held for probation or parole
violations. Erickson said his jail has between 130 and 140 prisoners per
day being held on possible probation violations.

While no target dates have been set, there is talk of adding 300 beds to
the Rock County Jail within the next four years.

Planning for more beds

In neighboring Walworth County, where they opened a new jail in 1996,
officials are already making plans to add at least another 150 beds.

The reason for concern is a 23 percent increase in the county's crime rate
over the past five years.

''By the year 2000 or 2001, we'll be pretty much maxed out,'' said the jail
administrator, Lt. Ben Harbach.

Officials hope to begin construction plans for some kind of addition by
January, with construction to start in 2000.

There are several large jail additions in the planning or building stage,
including a 600-bed jail in Milwaukee County, a 600-bed facility in Brown
County and a 396-bed facility in Kenosha County. There also are new lockups
in Winnebago and Waupaca counties.

Dane County, which has exceeded its capacity by more than 100 inmates a day
for months, has several expansion plans in the works, including reopening
the second floor of the Huber Center at the Dane County Exposition Center.
Another plan involves remodeling the City-County Building jail starting
next year.

In Sauk County, officials are looking for land to build either a separate
jail or combination jail and law enforcement center.

Grant County is a step further, having purchased land adjacent to the
present jail with plans under way for a 200-bed addition in the next couple
of years.

Dodge County is expecting to break ground this fall on the first phase of a
law enforcement building that will contain 358 beds and four courtrooms.
The second phase will involve remodeling the present jail to accommodate
the sheriff's department. The completion date is targeted for September 2000.

Adams County just opened its 112-bed jail in 1995 and is filling it with
out-of-town prisoners.

Neighboring Juneau County is a big customer, with 14 prisoners in the Adams
County Jail. Juneau jail administrator Randy Tyler said his jail has been
over its 31-bed capacity for many months. The population last week was 41,
Tyler said.

Ironically, while the 59-year-old jail is overflowing without any plans for
expansion, the state is building two large prisons within the county. The
first will go up in Mauston and house the state's most serious sex
offenders. Another 250-cell medium security prison is planned for New Lisbon.

Some surplus cells

Not all area jails are overcrowded. Besides the new Adams County Jail,
Jefferson County is renting beds to other counties and the state.

In Lafayette County, Sheriff Scott Pedley is on the phone daily offering
jail beds for rent. In fact, his beds are going at a bargain rate reduced
from $60 per day to $45, Pedley said with a chuckle.

Although he only has a 22-bed jail with just nine inmates, Pedley and other
county officials just completed a study of entering into a partnership with
an Oklahoma firm to build a 300-bed jail that the county would lease and run.

Pedley said that plan has been set aside for now because most of the cell
space would have to be used by outside entities such as other counties and
the state.

One of the reasons for looking at a larger jail, Pedley said, was the
county's need for separate juvenile housing. That need may now disappear
when the state opens juvenile detention quarters in Prairie du Chien.

''We were forced to take our juveniles to La Crosse, which means additional
costs of care and transportation,'' he said.

Pedley said while it may be years before his tiny jail reaches capacity,
county officials have contingency plans ready including an addition to the
jail for 38 adults and 10 juveniles and an off-site jail with 100 beds for
adults and juveniles.

''We may not need it now, but we will be ready when the time comes,''
Pedley said.

Checked-by: Pat Dolan