The Riley County jail has had high population numbers in recent months, and officials who previously anticipated a decrease in incarcerations now say that hasn’t happened. Jail captain Mark French on Monday told Riley County commissioners there are 124 inmates in the jail. There are 29 female inmates in Riley County custody, but some have gone elsewhere because the jail facility is set up for a maximum of 18 female inmates. “We are not seeing the downturn that we were anticipating,” French said. French said the Washington County jail has taken on some of the incarcerated women in Riley County custody. “The female population, I thought would drop, I honestly did,” French said. “There is no reason for this high of a spike. Nationwide, it’s 10%, and we’re over almost 100% from a couple years ago.” French told commissioners that county jails are not designed to hold inmates for long-term stays, and that on average, inmates are in jail for about four months before release. However, because many of the women in Riley County custody are there for more severe crimes, French said they’re having a longer incarceration rate because of longer court proceedings and fewer plea deals. “The reality is long-term, we’re going to evaluate cost-effectiveness,” French said. “We’re housing so many inmates outside our facility now because the facility is not set up to deal with them.”
Source: themercury.com
