Millions in costs for local taxpayers
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WZTV) — Davidson County Sheriff Daron Hall says more than 140 state inmates are currently being housed inside the county jail—some of them for more than a year. He says when the Tennessee Department of Correction doesn’t have space in state prisons, counties are forced to keep those inmates.
“It’s a cost issue. It’s a liability. It needs to be dealt with,” Hall told FOX 17 News.
According to Hall, it costs about $140 a day to house each inmate. The state only reimburses $41, leaving the county with a $100 gap per inmate, per day. He says that adds up to “millions upon millions of dollars” for local taxpayers…