Owen County is joining forces with other counties in Kentucky to support a bill to make the state responsible for the expenses of inmates held locally, but charged with state offenses.
Currently, all counties are required to pay for those prisoners.
House Bill 274, which the Owen County Fiscal Court supports, would hand that responsibility over to the state, beginning in 2010.
As the law stands now, counties are paying large amounts to house criminals charged with state crimes.
“Until they’re convicted or sentenced, it’s the responsibility of the county to pay for their incarceration,” said Owen County Judge-Executive Billy O’Banion.
“When that person gets convicted or sentenced, they get credit for the time they served in jail,” O’Banion said. “The counties get nothing back. We don’t get reimbursed for credit for time served, and many judges feel that’s wrong.”
Last year more than $110 million was transferred from the general funds of the counties to make up the jail budget deficit.
Owen County, which budgets $165,000 for the housing of prisoners, has already spent more than $115,000, with five months remaining until the end of the fiscal year.
“Right now were paying monthly anywhere from $12,000 to $15,000, so there’s a pretty good chance we’ll go over by $20,000 to $30,000 to $40,000,” O’Banion said.
O’Banion said all of that money goes to pay for prisoners charged with state crimes.
“The big thing is, it’s money we take away from being able to do other things in the community,” O’Banion said. “Instead of parks and fire and water, we have to spend it on the housing of prisoners.”

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