Douglas County corrections director reports modern-era low jail population, highlights staffing gains and opioid treatment challenges

Director Mike Myers, Douglas County director of corrections, told county commissioners at their Jan. 14 meeting that the county jail reached a modern-era low in population while staffing and rehabilitation programs showed gains.

Myers said the jail’s average daily population for December was 944, a record low for a second consecutive month, with a high count of 978 and a low of 914. He reported 1,272 admissions and 1,250 releases for the month and said the average length of stay for those released was 20 days; the overall average length of stay was 25 days. "I’m gonna venture a guess that that is the lowest number since the jail was expanded in 2005," Myers said.

The nut graf: The numbers reflect a combination of programmatic changes, reentry efforts and community partnerships, Myers said, but the department identified remaining needs: mental-health resources, GED access, and operational challenges tied to new federal requirements for medications for opioid-use disorder (MOUD).

Myers gave detailed operating and program statistics. He said overtime spending after six months of the fiscal year totaled $1,183,530, down by about $84,000 from the previous month and nearly $180,000 over two months. Corrections logged 3,646 overtime hours in December. The records division processed about $900,000 in bond payments. Staffing at correctional-officer ranks was 101% of authorized levels, with 359 officers on hand against an authorized 355,…