In his 16 years as Trigg County jailer, James Hughes has never seen such an increase in cost.
But during Monday’s Trigg County Fiscal Court meeting, the long-time public servant had little option but to report that the 2022-23 budget for the jail fund needed to be more than $1.09 million.
For comparison, Hughes noted last year’s budget hovered around $578,000. And that’s a one-year jump of 88%.
Perhaps the biggest price jump is the housing of inmates in other counties, particularly at the Christian County Jail. Hughes said last year’s budget had a line item of nearly $260,000 for contracts in other counties.
This year’s line item: $720,000.
Back when Trigg County still had its own jail, Hughes and Judge-Executive Hollis Alexander remember a time where a regular day might see 12-to-15 inmates incarcerated at any one time.
Two weeks ago, Hughes accounted for 57 inmates responsible for a wide breadth of crimes in the area: murder, theft and drugs among the charges listed. This new budget plans for an average of 65 inmates a day in Christian County and other facilities.
Hughes noted that with more law enforcement on the road than in the past, the chances for crimes being solved or thwarted has also increased.
Some inmates are remaining incarcerated for longer periods of time, and a logjam of cases within the 56th District also remains a factor.
Magistrate Alana Baker-Dunn noted the consistency of repeat offenders, especially in drug cases, is worth noting.
Hughes added that Trigg County has been able to maintain a cost of $30 a day per inmate for the foreseeable future, while Alexander noted that these costs were well-forecasted.
