'Fill in' strategy working at Shoshone County Jail
WALLACE — The Shoshone County commissioners recently met with Shoshone County Sheriff Holly Lindsey and Undersheriff Lance Stutzke for an update on the status of their jail fill-in strategy.
In February, Lindsey requested the commissioners allow the department to use funds from the jail’s salary budget to pay patrol deputies to assist in the jail.
The board approved $12,000 of the unspent wages to be utilized, which was moved into its own line item on the budget so it was easier for the clerk and SCSO to track how much money was being spent.
The board asked them to come back after a month to report on how Lindsey’s plan was working out.
According to Stutzke, the jail spent $7,500 of the $12,000 during the past 30 days, with the primary focus being providing coverage during high liability times, including overnights, during dinner time, transport and medical holds and during times of high sickness.
“It’s definitely a benefit to have them there,” Stutzke said. “The jail is way overcrowded right now.”
During the meeting, both SCSO administrators brought up another issue that is plaguing them and many other Idaho counties.
Shoshone County’s jail is designed to house 48 inmates and staff 12 jailors, including the jail captain. According to Stutzke, 23 of the jail’s 55 inmates are state prisoners who have been sentenced and are waiting to be moved from the county jail to a state facility. He told the commissioners he has reached out to the Idaho Department of Correction concerning the issue but is awaiting a response.
“They’re supposed to come get them, but they’ve been using us as a holding hub,” Stutzke said. “In the past, when we have the staffing, we can hold 20 of them but right now we can’t safely accommodate that.”
Stutzke said the state pays counties $75 a day to house their inmates, but it costs the county roughly $100 per day to house them.
“We’re not the only county having this issue with IDOC,” Lindsey said. “Multiple counties are having issues with IDOC not taking inmates in a timely manner after they’re sentenced.”
Lindsey said IDOC has told them in the past that their facilities are also full.
Both Stutzke and Lindsey said lowering the inmate population would dramatically improve the safety of the jail and relieve some of the need for additional staffing.
In the meantime, the board agreed to continue shifting funds from the jail salary budget into the jail fill-in line item to cover the additional hours for the patrol deputies working in the jail.
The jail is still seeking applicants for the open jail positions but has received minimal interest.
Holly Lindsey