Managing jail's population hot topic for sheriff, officials

As Kane County officials prepare to open a new $58 million jail, employees from the sheriff's office and court system are meeting regularly to determine how to manage the jail's population so the building isn't filled to capacity the day it opens.

Officials plan to gather information on programs being conducted at other county jails and undertake a cost/benefit analysis to figure out what might work in Kane County.

"We aren't where we need to be yet" in terms of identifying the best way to keep the jail's population under control, Jim Robertson, the county's jail project consultant, told the county board's judicial/public safety committee Thursday.

The 640-bed institution is scheduled to open in the fall in unincorporated St. Charles Township, next to the Kane County Judicial Center. It will replace the smaller, aging jail in Geneva.

On Thursday the jail's population was 712 inmates, 499 of which are in Kane County; the rest are being held at institutions outside of the county.

Without instituting successful population management practices, it's likely Kane County will have to continue housing at least some of its inmates outside the county when the new jail opens.

Outsourcing inmates cost more than $4 million in fiscal 2006, the most recent year for which statistics are available.

Two main factors determine a jail's population: the number of offenders coming into the facility and the length of time they stay there. Pre-trial diversion programs and electronic home monitoring programs can keep some offenders out of jail, while keeping tabs on court dates and speeding up some cases can result in shorter jail stays, Robertson said.

Eighty-five percent of the jail's inmates are awaiting trial, according to committee member Rudy Neuberger.

But even if an offender is charged with a minor crime such as driving on a revoked license, his or her criminal history must be taken into account when determining whether to grant bail, Kane County Sheriff Pat Perez said.

That means many inmates will not qualify for bond reductions, Perez said. For example, if a convicted murderer jailed on a minor offense is released, "What are the headlines going to be?" Perez said. "If we could open the doors and let more people out, we would."

In any case, cooperation among the state's attorney's office, sheriff's office, public defender's office and other departments is key, Robertson said.

"It's time consuming," Perez said. "We're not going to change overnight."