BLOOMINGTON — When the cell door closes behind a new inmate at the McLean County jail, the costs related to housing that prisoner begin to add up. If the number of inmates exceeds the number of jail beds, the costs climb even higher because they are taken to neighboring county jails.

But a new effort to examine the causes behind a chronically swollen jail population is beginning to pay off, according to Sheriff Mike Emery. For the first 10 months of 2009, the county paid $81,000 to house inmates outside of McLean County — compared to $597,000 for the same time frame in 2008. 

Last year, the county paid a total of $724,000 to other counties for housing prisoners.

While Emery cannot point to specific reasons for the sizable drop in population, he said several factors are likely contributors: Video conferencing that allows public defenders to meet more easily with inmates; bond reviews by judges; and a heightened awareness of the housing issue.

And, county officials are optimistic that a review of jail data will yield further answers to what’s behind the positive turnaround.

“We have a ton of data and we’re hoping to bring some life to the numbers and analyze them,” said county administrator Terry Lindberg, adding a decision has not been made on who will conduct the review.

McLean County State’s Attorney Bill Yoder leads a committee that is studying the flow of cases through the court system.

“One factor that contributes to the jail population is how long it takes for a case to work its way through the system. The biggest frustration I’ve seen from the public is how slowly justice operates,” said Yoder, adding the committee’s review may find potential bottlenecks in the system and help identify ways the process can move more efficiently.

“No one has a monopoly on good ideas,” said Yoder.

Speed and safety

A crowded jail often is a dangerous jail, said Emery, citing a day in May 2006 when a correctional officer was seriously injured while escorting an inmate to the shower.

“If you look at the population that day, I guarantee you the staff was stressed out trying to keep the functions of the jail going,” said Emery, noting it’s unlikely the officer will return to work.

Delays in moving inmates through the legal process keeps them in the county’s custody for lengthier stays, said Emery.

 The record for pre-trial detention set by former Bloomington police officer Jeff Pelo, who waited two years for his trial on rape charges, was broken in April when Joe Mendez passed his second year in custody. By the time his trial starts in February on charges that he killed his girlfriend’s son, Mendez will be closing in on three years in custody. 

The sheriff also has been critical of the two-month gap between a conviction and sentencing where a pre-sentence investigation report is required. The report tells the judge about the defendant’s family background, education and other factors that could influence a sentencing decision.

Justice council

Overcrowding has been a chronic problem at the jail designed to hold 205 inmates.  Previous committees organized to study the issue disbanded without developing long term solutions, said Emery.

“We’ve been bailing out the boat without addressing the real problem. Overpopulation is the issue, not the problem,” he said.

In January, a team from the National Institute on Corrections with the U.S. Department of Justice came to McLean County to review data and offer suggestions on how local officials could deal with the jail population.  The consultants recommended county officials examine why people are held in the jail as a means of understanding the jail census.

The Criminal Justice Coordinating Council, a group comprised of community leaders, law enforcement and criminal justice officials, was organized after the NIC study to focus on five core issues that could impact how many people are locked up and how long they stay in the county jail.

Council committees is considering how to move cases more efficiently through the court system, reviewing arrest and booking policies and looking at ways to boost the amount of money collected in criminal and child support cases. Issues related to the county’s Juvenile Justice Center and specialized courts and diversion programs, such as mental health and domestic violence courts, also are being evaluated.

Reports from the committees are due in December with the first full council meeting scheduled for Jan. 7.