FRANKFORT, Ky. — Counties across the Commonwealth are struggling to fund their jails.

Officials from a few of them spoke to members of the Interim Joint Committee on Local Government this week. They discussed some solutions, but additional funding is scarce.

According to the Kentucky Association of Counties Executive Director Jim Henderson, counties spend about $350 million per year to operate jails.

Jailers, judge executives and other officials say jails are suffering. They explained to Kentucky lawmakers where the different costs are piling up.

Rowan County Judge-Executive Harry Clark said medical costs are skyrocketing.

“We’re struggling now. I mean, the counties are definitely struggling to keep up these jails. So we need to come up with a long-term solution. Whatever that may be,” Clark said. “It’s bleeding us dry. There are so many other things we could do with the money we’re spending on this.”

In 2018, Rowan County opened a new 279-bed facility where a third of the inmates come from other counties.

Senator Damon Thayer, R-Georgetown, questioned Clark whether building that jail was the right decision.

“So, six years ago, your fiscal court made a decision to spend $19.3 million to build a jail,” he said. “And six years later you’re here before a legislative committee and to quote you, you said ‘it’s bleeding us dry.’ So why’d you build a jail?”

Clark responded, saying transporting inmates to the western part of the state would’ve cost even more.

Thayer concluded, saying, “Get used to this. Because for the next, however long you’re here, this group is going to come before this committee, and ANR, and ask for more money to run their jails.”

Hardin County Attorney Jenny Oldham said the high costs are even affecting whether people ever end up in jail.

“As an assistant county attorney, as a frontline prosecutor, I never had anyone say to me in the late 90s, early 2000s, that my plea agreements needed to consider the cost of the inmate. That is not the case in 2024. I don’t want plea agreements completely driven by the cost of incarceration, but as a responsible county government official, that has to go into the calculus,” she said.

Possible solutions suggested by jailers and lawmakers are to contract out some services like food and bringing medical services into jails to cut down on transportation.

“It does not by any means touch long-term the cost of medical, which is huge, but it is something,” she said. “I think it’s a good idea to look at maybe regionally is there some cost savings where we can have people come into the facilities and provide that care,” said Sen. Amanda Mays Bledsoe, R-Lexington.

The time inmates spend awaiting trial, sometimes three to five years, was also discussed. 

Lawmakers said they’re intent on finding ways to speed up that process.

Oldham said there are systems in place to help the courts cut down on jail time, but bail schedules are an issue. She said the administrative office of the courts sets those.