The Real Cost of Prisons Weblog

The sheriff of Virginia Beach sued to stop the practice, saying it made no sense to lease prison space to other states when more than 1,800 state prisoners are in local Virginia jails.

Last year, the Richmond City Jail averaged a little under 200 inmates at any one time who should have gone to state prison because they were past the deadline for transfer, which comes 90 days after sentencing, sheriff's officials reported.

Republican members of the House Appropriations Committee agreed yesterday with Virginia Beach Sheriff Paul J. Lanteigne, although the General Assembly had endorsed the original Kaine administration plan to lease space to 1,000 out-of-state inmates to generate revenue.

Gene Johnson, director of the Department of Corrections, told the budget committee he will have to limit hiring and maintenance, delay equipment purchases and monitor other costs to make up for the budget shortfall.

Lanteigne was not available for comment. When he filed suit, his jail was holding 67 inmates required to be in a state prison under Virginia law. That figure is down to 44, a spokeswoman said.

John W. Jones, executive director of the Virginia Sheriffs' Association, said the association did not agree with the lawsuit but said it was up to the governor to decide how to run the prison system.

In a Tuesday letter to Jones announcing the reversal, Kaine noted that the prison-housing plan was developed, in part, because "I heard no complaints from sheriffs during the budgeting process."

The plan to generate $38 million in revenue over two years by bringing in 1,000 inmates would have allowed two new prisons to open, as well as two major prison expansions, Kaine noted.

Kaine also noted that the 1,800 state inmates being held in local jails is lower than recent historical levels. The number exceeded 3,000 in late 2006, he noted.

In addition to the state prisoners in local jails, about 2,100 federal prisoners are being housed there. But Johnson said the federal government pays so much money that some sheriffs welcome the federal prisoners.

In other news at the budget committee's meeting:
# Jody M. Wagner, secretary of finance, told the Appropriations Committee that state revenues are likely to meet revenue goals for the fiscal year ending June 30, despite a poor May showing. But she said there are some disturbing economic trends in sales and withholding taxes that may cause some further downward revisions in fiscal 2009, which begins July 1.
# Richard F. Sliwoski, director of the Department of General Services, said the state is in the final stages of negotiations to buy two downtown Richmond office buildings, the Main Street Centre at 600 E. Main St. and the former corporate headquarters of United Dominion Realty Trust at 400 E. Cary St. The trust is moving its corporate headquarters to Denver.
# Sliwoski said the state received inquiries from 18 companies on a public-private partnership venture to build a 10-story office tower on the vacant lot fronting East Broad Street in Richmond between North Eighth and North Ninth streets.
Contact Tyler Whitley at (804) 649-6780 or twhitley@timesdispatch.com.
http://www.inrich.com/cva/ric/news.apx.-content-articles-RTD-2008-06-19-0158.html