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Cumberland County warns jail is operating as a de facto hospital as federal contract revenue is held up
Summary
Sheriff Joyce told the finance committee that rising mental-health and medical needs have turned the county jail into a ‘‘hospital masquerading as a jail,’’ and county staff said $1.12M–$1.2M in ICE-related payments were unpaid Sept–Dec, prompting a proposed budget that excludes federal revenue and a plan to use fund balance to soften the hit.
Sheriff Joyce told the Cumberland County Finance Committee on Jan. 27 that the county jail is increasingly caring for people with serious medical and mental-health needs and described the facility as ‘‘a hospital masquerading as a jail.’’ The sheriff said about 75–80% of people booked at the jail have co-occurring substance-use and mental-health conditions and that staff are routinely managing prolonged medical needs and hospital transports.
County staff told the committee that payments tied to federal contracts, including ICE-related receipts, have not been received for several months. Staff said the county had not been paid for Sept.–Dec. billings — about $1,120,000 — and that January…
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