Oneida County boosts jail population with 71 state inmates
County contracted to house up to 100 state prisoners
BY KEVIN BONESKE
REPORTER/PHOTOGRAPHER
Within two months after resuming the housing of state prisoners at the Oneida County Jail, the county has exceeded two-thirds of the maximum 100 state inmates the jail is contracted to have, said sheriff Grady Hartman.
Hartman said Thursday the arrival of six more prisoners increased the number of state inmates being housed by the county to 71. He noted the jail, which had a total population Monday of 133, is able to house around 200 inmates and has room for the maximum number of state prisoners authorized in the contract, for which the county is receiving $51.46 per prisoner per day.
The housing of state inmates is an opportunity for the jail to bring in additional revenue at a profit, said Hartman, who has cautioned the county board against including that revenue in future budgets and instead favors placing that money into the general fund, given the possibility that housing state prisoners could be discontinued at the jail.
Hartman said the state inmates presently assigned to the jail can be housed by the county for up to 100 days before being rotated out with other prisoners.
He said he anticipates more state prisoners, and is currently in a “wait-and-see” mode as to when they might arrive at the jail.
The county jail, which also was able to house state inmates several years ago to relieve overcrowding in the state prison facilities, resumed housing those prisoners June 7 when 11 of them arrived. The county board last month authorized an additional corrections officer position, provided there are at least 20 state prisoners being housed at the jail. That increased the total number of corrections officers on staff to 26 and restored a position that was cut in the 2016 budget.
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