In what's becoming a chorus of concern, El Paso County Sheriff Joseph Roybal, alongside 16 other Colorado sheriffs, has dispatched a stark message to Governor Jared Polis. The group is sounding the alarm over a crippling backlog in inmate transfers and an untenable funding arrangement forcing county jails to shoulder the weight of state responsibilities. According to a letter unearthed by the El Paso County Sheriff's Office, the sheriffs expressed that "county jails were never designed or funded to house state inmates for extended periods." The predicament is not only unsustainable, they say, but also a raw deal for local taxpayers.
The sheriffs are urging the Governor to promptly act to both expedite the reduction of the backlog and to more fairly adjust the per diem reimbursement rate. This financial pain point sees counties coping with state prisoner upkeep far beyond their means, a daily rate of $77.16 per inmate hardly scratches the surface of the actual costs. With the state's reimbursement now trailing actual expenses by more than $60 a day for each inmate, smaller, rural counties are, in particular, to severely feel the pinch. The Sheriffs pointed out that jails are currently being made to "expand capacity and stretch already limited staff." It's a balance that's grown increasingly difficult to maintain.
The suggested remedies are fourfold: expedite the backlog clearance using emergency bed capacity or contracted facilities, reassess and fix the reimbursement rate, amplify investments in mental health treatment, and establish a communication bridge for dialogue and brainstorming between sheriffs and state officials.
