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Nonviolent prisoners diverted to house arrest
The city has already paid more than $1 million to house inmates at the county jail so far this year.
YOUNGSTOWN — The city signed a one-year contract to divert some nonviolent prisoners from the Mahoning County jail to house arrest in an effort to save money.
The board of control — consisting of Mayor Jay Williams, Law Director Iris Torres Guglucello and Finance Director David Bozanich — approved the contract Thursday with Community Corrections Association Inc., a Youngstown company, that is retroactive to last Saturday.
The city saves money by diverting nonviolent offenders to house arrest from the county jail, where the city is charged if it sends more than 71 inmates.
The city had a three-month contract with CCA that expired Sept. 30.
CCA electronically monitors up to 50 of the city’s indigent misdemeanor prisoners.
The temporary contract was for $3,500 a month.
The contract approved Thursday is for $40,000 annually. That’s slightly less costly per month than the temporary deal.
But it also calls for the city to pay $4 a prisoner a day to CCA. That would cost the city up to $73,000 if CCA monitors the maximum number of prisoners every day of the year.
That is highly unlikely, said Anthony Farris, the city’s deputy law director.
During the past three months, CCA has monitored significantly less than 50 city inmates a day, Farris said.
Even so, the city has saved about $300,000 through the CCA program during the previous three months, he said.
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 house 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 its maximum number of 221 prisoners at the jail, the cost is $80 a day.
The city budgeted $125,000 last year but paid $317,230.
The city budgeted $750,000 this year and paid about $550,000 through the first six months of the year before deciding to work out a deal with CCA.
The city has already paid more than $1 million to the county and has had about 100 prisoners at the county jail in recent weeks.
“We’re at the whim of the judges,” Farris said of using house arrest. “We’d like to see it used a lot more. It’s not nearly enough in my estimation. We’re not putting nearly enough people on house arrest.”
Judge Elizabeth Kobly said she and the two other city municipal court judges are “diverting as many [prisoners] as we can. It’s a case-by-case basis. We’re doing it as much as we can. CCA does a very good job for the city. It’s a great working relationship.”
skolnick@vindy.com