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County renews jail-release electronic monitoring contract; officials warn of possible cost increases with new law
Summary
Delaware County approved renewal of the Community Corrections jail-release (electronic monitoring) contract. Staff reported program counts and costs; commissioners were briefed that a recent state law change about domestic battery monitoring could increase caseload and costs.
The Delaware County Commissioners approved a renewal of the county’s jail-release/ electronic monitoring contract with Community Corrections on June 2. Community Corrections Director Jane Miranda told commissioners the program monitors pretrial defendants on electronic monitoring and in treatment placements and reported monthly caseload and cost data.
"Once an inmate is on with us in the jail release program, it varies each month. Some months we've had 88 people. I know we've had as high as 148," Miranda said, noting that as of the previous Friday there were about 130 individuals enrolled and 64 of those were in treatment or sober-living facilities in Central Indiana. Miranda said the county invoices for the program reflect the daily cost that would otherwise be incurred if those people remained in the Delaware County Jail.
Miranda and commissioners reviewed recent annual totals: $545,886.99 for 2023 and $625,060 for 2024. County staff estimated that if the program reached the contract maximum of 150 participants, annual costs could approach $720,000 (about $60,000 per month). The board approved the contract renewal by roll call.
Commissioners and staff also discussed a recent state-level change mentioned by Miranda that could require monitoring for some people arrested for domestic battery. "We don't know what that will mean for community corrections because there is stipulations... it's a little more meat to it than just they've been arrested," Miranda said. She and commissioners noted that if a defendant bonds out and monitoring is required, state guidance indicates the individual — not the county — would generally be responsible for transmitter costs; Miranda said case managers are successful at collecting fees from participants but added that an increase in mandated monitoring could raise the county’s institutional-care line and might require future appropriations.
The board directed staff to monitor legislative guidance and budget impacts and to forward any implementing documents to the commissioners as they become available.
