Boyle County jailer reports steady population, programs and possible end to a partner county contract

Jailer reported population counts, program activity and a likely change in intercounty housing agreements at Wednesday’s fiscal-court meeting.

The jailer asked the court to approve annual policy and procedure updates required for audit; the court approved the policies without change. He reported an in-county population of 47 inmates, 18 from Mercer County and 71 state inmates held in total earlier in the session; he said Mercer County still pays through June 30 under the existing arrangement.

The jailer said Boyle County provides substance-abuse and mental-health programming that other jails do not and said the county is assessing the financial model for housing out‑of‑county inmates. He noted a recent letter from another county indicating it will discontinue its housing agreement effective the end of June.

The jailer also discussed the state’s obligation for “above ordinary” medical costs for state inmates and the county’s position that the state should pay certain high‑cost medical bills. He said the county may need to reduce state‑inmate intake in the future if programs and staffing become unsustainable. The jailer described ongoing workforce-development partnerships and mental-health referrals for female inmates and said some community partners will provide in-jail services.

Court members asked staff to meet with jail leadership and others to detail implications of reduced state or county contracts and to consider how a smaller jail footprint might change programs and staffing. No change in policy was made beyond the annual policy approval.