Inmate life at county jail adjusts with economy

Budget constraints are now being felt inside the Kane County jail in St. Charles.

Corrections officials recently scaled back weekend visiting hours and programs for inmates in an effort to offset costs in the rough economy.

"We're trying to still provide a service and also be cautious of our budget," Sheriff's Cmdr. Patrick Keaty said.

The changes, which took effect earlier this month, include putting the jail on lockdown from 6 to 2 a.m. on Saturdays and 2 to 10 p.m. on Sundays.

During these hours, inmates can no longer see visitors, spend time in the day room, watch television or attend self-help programs.

The adjustments are saving the department roughly $5,000 a month in overtime costs at a time when all county offices have been told to trim their budgets by 1.5 percent. Keaty said there are several officers in training who are not yet able to work so full-timers have been picking up weekend shifts for overtime.

On Tuesday there were 661 inmates in the county jail. Keaty said inmates get anywhere from 1 to 9.5 hours of recreational time a day, depending on behavior.

Keaty added that the jail is working to provide some nighttime visiting hours on weekdays so inmates can see relatives who can't be there during regular business hours.

Officials also are trying to give inmates extra time for recreation and activities during the week to make up for the weekend cuts, which are in place indefinitely.

"So far, we haven't seen any bad behavior because of it," Keaty said.