County Commission | The Magazine April 2020 | Page 26

NEWS YOU CAN USE that jail capacity and county budgets would be further strained by creation of the Class D felony because these offenders would serve all their time in county jails rather than State prisons. As enacted, the Prison Reform Act calls for the establishment of State-operated regional facilities for “dunks” to relieve some pressure on county jails, but this requirement remains unmet to this day. The timely transfer of State inmates from county jails to State facilities has been a long-running point of conflict. More than a decade ago, the Alabama Supreme Court set a 30-day limit on the “waiting period” for transfer, but the number of State inmates in county jails past the limit continues to climb every month. ACCA’s latest research publication, “Alabama’s Unresolved Inmate Crisis,” reflects data from all 67 counties. It was initially released in December 2019, and the expanded version came out in January 2020. n Get the Report Download the complete UPDATED research publication, “Alabama’s Unresolved Inmate Crisis,” at AlabamaCounties.org. • FY2019 county data reveals the alarming impact of the 2015 Prison Reform Act. • Combined jail and sheriff’s department operation costs for all 67 counties jumped another $30 million annually. CONTACT 811 BEFORE YOU DIG. One free, easy call or online request gets member utilities marked AND helps protect you from injury and expense. www.al811.com 26 | APRIL 2020 Safe Digging Is No Accident: Contact 811 Before You Dig.