In what's shaping up to be a fiscal and safety quagmire, sheriffs from 17 Colorado counties, including Weld County Sheriff Steve Reams, have penned a letter to Governor Jared Polis urging immediate action to alleviate the backlog of inmate transfers to the Colorado Department of Corrections (DOC), detailed by the Weld County Sheriff's Office. The sheriffs highlight the financial strain on local budgets and the threat to public safety this backlog poses.
According to the Weld County Sheriff's Office, it costs around $185.51 per day to house a single inmate at Weld County Jail, yet the state's reimbursement stands at a mere $77.16, leaving a considerable deficit of $108.35 per day that falls on the shoulders of Weld County taxpayers. The reimbursement only covers 41% of the actual cost, the sheriffs' coalition points out; it's unsustainable for counties to bear the excess burden.
"County jails were never designed—or funded—to house state inmates for extended periods," the sheriffs said in their joint statement, as per the Weld County Sheriff's Office. They have called on the governor to take several actions, including using emergency bed capacity, adjusting reimbursement rates, improving mental health treatment capabilities, and engaging in a collaborative dialogue with the sheriffs to devise and implement effective solutions.
Sheriff Steve Reams was particularly forthright, saying, "This has been a systemic issue that has only gotten worse under the Polis administration. At some point, this State must prioritize keeping the citizens safe by running an effective prison system," according to the Weld County Sheriff's Office. Signatories to the letter include officials from El Paso, Teller, and Pueblo, among other counties, all united in their concern over the DOC's handling of transfers and its fiscal implications for local communities.
