City OKs house-arrest monitoring

By David Skolnick

Without the deal, housing prisoners would cost the city about $1.5 million this year.

YOUNGSTOWN — City officials approved a short-term contract to save money spent on housing prisoners.

They expect the contract will lead to a long-term deal to reduce that expense.

The board of control — Mayor Jay Williams, Finance Director David Bozanich and Law Director Iris Torres Guglucello — voted Monday in favor of the contract.

Community Corrections Association Inc. will electronically monitor up to 50 of the city’s indigent misdemeanor prisoners for $3,500 this month.

The city would save money by diverting nonviolent offenders from the Mahoning County Jail to house arrest, said Anthony Farris, the city’s deputy law director.

The contract would be automatically renewed for September and October at the same monthly fee unless either side opts out of the deal.

The city will ask for proposals from agencies to provide this service permanently. CCA plans to seek that contract.

With the deal in place, it’s now up to the three Youngstown Municipal Court judges to place nonviolent prisoners on house arrest, Farris said.

Robert A. Douglas Jr., the court’s administrative and presiding judge, said the judges plan to put those prisoners on house arrest.

The city signed a deal in February 2007 with the county to pay for some of its prisoners at the jail to resolve a federal lawsuit.

The deal has the county housing the first 71 city misdemeanor prisoners for the cost of meals (about $1 each) and medical costs not covered by the county’s insurance.

From the 72nd city misdemeanor inmate through the city’s maximum amount of 221 prisoners at the jail, the cost is $80 a day each.

The city had budgeted $125,000 last year for the housing of its prisoners at the county jail. The city paid $317,230 last year.

The city budgeted $750,000 this year, and has already paid about $550,000 through the first six months of the year, Farris said.

Without a house-arrest deal, the city would probably end up paying $1.5 million to the county this year, Farris said.

The city routinely has 100 to 150 prisoners at the county jail each day.

With the deal, the city will probably spend close to the $750,000 budgeted for housing inmates this year, Farris said.

skolnick@vindy.com