Holding federal prisoners a big boost for county jails
Deals financially stabilize struggling facilities
Sunday, April 25, 2010 2:57 AM
By Josh Jarman



Morrow County Sheriff Steve Brenneman already had sent out layoff notices when he got the call from Washington, D.C.

The regional U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office had renewed interest in his jail. Brenneman had been approved to house federal prisoners awaiting deportation.

The Morrow County jail would stay open.

That was last fall, when Brenneman joined a group of county sheriffs whose offices benefited financially from a decision to use fewer federally approved housing facilities for prisoners. As word of their success spreads, however, some wonder whether they can maintain the increased revenue in the face of competition from other sheriffs.

Brenneman announced last year that he would close the jail if his office didn't get more money. With no more money to give, county commissioners instead cut his budget further, from $720,000 last year to $519,000 this year.

At the time, he was using as few as 30 of the 126 beds in the jail, which was built in 1996. The agreement with the feds changed that, and Brenneman billed the agency $332,000 for holding an average of 50 prisoners a day for the last four months of 2009.

It's expected that the program will bring in about $1million this year, allowing the sheriff to keep the corrections officers he had and hire more.

Brenneman said he is not worried about losing the money to other sheriffs. "I believe we have a lot going for us. Our location, and how well we have worked with immigration officials."

The Delaware County jail was approved to hold immigration prisoners last year, too, but Brenneman doesn't have to worry about that for now. Sheriff Walter L. Davis III recently began housing federal prisoners from the U.S. Marshals Service instead.

Davis said that although his office has avoided layoffs, it has been affected by the recession the same as other county agencies. That's why housing the prisoners has been a boon, he said. The money raised will be used to offset the costs of renovating and enlarging the jail.

"The agreement is about more than just money," Davis said. "We're working to help each other out and keep these criminals off the streets."

Location is key for a jail hoping to secure federal approval, said Cathy Jones, acting U.S. marshal for the Southern District of Ohio. The Marshals Service forms prisoner-housing agreements with local jails because there is no federal detention facility for the federal court district that includes Columbus.

She said the prisoners are facing trial for federal crimes and could have been arrested by a variety of governmental agencies. The Marshals Service primarily is responsible for housing the prisoners until they face trial. If convicted, the prisoners then would go to a federal prison.

Although the service might have maintained agreements with more jails in the past, Jones said officials have made an effort to consolidate the jails holding federal prisoners to as close as possible to the courts where they will be tried.

That doesn't mean more sheriffs cannot get involved with the program. The office of Knox County Sheriff David Barber is going through the approval process now. But the farther jails are from federal court buildings, the more likely they will be used on a limited, case-by-case basis, Jones said.

Having additional facilities approved gives the service a backup in case a jail it has been using has to discontinue the agreement. "The Franklin County sheriff could call tomorrow and say, 'We need to utilize this jail space,' and we would have to find someplace else for our prisoners," she said.

jjarman@dispatch.com



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