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Oversight board approves $25 monthly stipend from inmate welfare fund for eligible detainees
Summary
The board approved using the inmate welfare fund to deposit $25 per month into trust accounts for incarcerated people who have been housed more than 15 days; staff projected an annual cost of roughly $375,000 and said the fund balance exceeds $4 million.
Delaware County's Jail Oversight Board voted to authorize monthly deposits of $25 from the inmate welfare fund into each eligible incarcerated person's trust account.
Under the approved plan, the deposit will occur on the second Wednesday of each month for incarcerated people who have been housed at the George W. Hill facility for more than 15 days. Executive Director O'Malley presented the policy and said the money would go directly into each individual's trust account to be used for commissary, phone, or tablet services.
"The deposit would occur on each, every month on the second Wednesday of each month," Executive Director O'Malley said. She told the board that the deposit would not apply to individuals on brief 72‑hour holds and that any remaining balances at release would follow existing procedures for refunding trust accounts after outstanding fees are settled.
County staff reported the inmate welfare fund balance exceeds $4,000,000. Using an eligibility estimate of up to 1,250 individuals, staff projected a monthly cost of about $31,250 and an annual cost near $375,000.
Board members discussed sustainability and acknowledged the potential impact of changes in commissary and tablet commission revenues. A staff speaker noted the board had previously voted to reduce commissary commission rates in order to lower retail prices for incarcerated people, and that tablet commissions remain a revenue source.
Executive Director O'Malley moved to approve the use of inmate welfare funds for the $25 monthly deposit; a second was recorded. After board members voted "aye," the motion passed.
Staff said oversight and audit materials for the inmate welfare and trust funds had been completed and will be presented in advance of the February meeting.
