Jasper County Jail to charge a little extra to hold out-of-county inmates

Jasper County will not be charging more money to house out-of-county inmates at the jail. Sheriff John Halferty said at the July 23 board of supervisors meeting that the Jasper County Jail is actually holding fewer local inmates, so, to him, the increase is justified. He also mentioned it would keep the county competitive.

“In order to compete but also stay up with current costs, we’re requesting our inmate holding from $55 a day to $60 a day,” Halferty said. “And we’re also adding what I call a potential high maintenance or high profile inmate at $75 a day, and that’s consistent with what Polk and other counties are charging.”

According to the resolution included in the supervisors agenda, high profile inmates who need additional care, supervision or special holding circumstances are defined as those with major felonies or cases and/or individuals with mental health or substance abuse conditions and behaviors.

On any given day the Jasper County Jail is holding 30 to 35 inmates from Polk County, Halferty added. Which would mean the county would bring in $1,800 in daily revenue with the new rate as opposed to $1,650 a day with the previous rate holding only 30 inmates. This would be an increase of $150.