CALDWELL -- Now that Canyon County voters have rejected another jail bond, the county has no other choise but to ship some inmates to other counties to make room for the growing jail population.
By the end of Friday, more than two dozen inmates will be housed elsewhere, and that's costing the county thousands of dollars.
But with the jail at maximum capacity, that means no room for those who are booked on a daily basis.
"We have people coming in on warrant arrests from other counties, you know jurisdictions, and then just crimes, DUI's, batteries, domestics, numerous crimes are committed throughout the day, 24/7," said jail deputy Betty Cossins.
Nineteen inmates who have all been sentenced, have been moved out of Canyon County and into jails in Washington, Owyhee, Elmore and Gem counties.
At $40-a-day, by the end of their sentences, these 19 inmates will cost the county $18,800.
"Financially this is a huge strain," said Cossins. "We have one individual right now, who if he serves his full sentence through April 10th, we will have paid $5,520 for the one individual to have served a sentence."
That man is Pedro Cortes. He's serving 138 days for a misdemeanor DUI.
Ten years ago, the sheriff's office pushed the envelope. Beds were stacked three high, and cots were put on the floors, using every space possible.
Then the ACLU stepped in and recently the sheriff's office had to pay $190,000 for legal fees over jail litigation.
To avoid that the current administration is following all the rules, and that means paying a price.
Not only is it expensive, but the adoptive jails are asking for the low risk, healthy offenders. The same offenders who help out in the Canyon County jail laundry room and kitchen.
