Skinner still in talks to keep federal inmates in Delaware County Jail

MUNCIE, Ind. − Delaware County Sheriff Tony Skinner updated county council members last week on jail operations and the status of negotiations to have the local lockup approved for housing federal prisoners.

“I expected this process to be done last October,” Skinner told the council members about working with federal officals.

He said at this point, discussions with the U.S. Marshals Service have come down to the per diem amount the Service will pay the county for keeping the prisoners.

Skinner said the Delaware County Jail is appealing as a place to house federal inmates because of its proximity to U.S. Federal District Court in Indianapolis and some of the features of the jail, such as medical staff.

A cellblock in the new Delaware County Jail, which open in 2021.

The sheriff is asking for a $75 daily per diem from the U.S. Marshall’s Service to keep federal prisoners, which he said was on par with what has been charged by other counties.

Skinner told The Star Press he received an email from the Service this week stating the county’s bid for keeping federal inmates had been moved up for final negotiations to the bureau chief in Washington, D.C. While the effort to gain approval seems to be nearing its end, the bureaucratic process has been lengthy.

“It’s just been brutal,” Skinner said.

Council President Jessica Piper asked Skinner last week if the number of inmates sent to Delaware County from other counties was staying consistent.

Skinner said those numbers are down because neighboring counties have built new jails or are in the process of building new jails to keep their own inmates.

The sheriff reported the numbers for last year were strong. Out-of-county inmates, along with inmates placed in Delaware County by the Indiana Department of Correction and reoffending parolees kept in the local jail until they sent back to state prison, delivered $848,090 in revenue for Delaware County.

Delaware County was keeping Henry County inmates until that county’s new jail went into service last year. Henry County paid $187,720 to keep its inmates at the jail in Muncie in 2022.

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Skinner said Madison County officials were looking at building a new jail and recently visited Delaware County to see its facility, which was converted from a former school two years ago. Madison County paid $81,080 to Delaware County in 2022 to house its inmates.

Skinner said Grant County also is preparing to build a new jail.

“I knew that was going to happen,” Skinner said.

The sheriff said the trend toward new jail construction in nearby counties was why he decided to pursue housing federal prisoners.

Statistics show the county that spent the most housing inmates in Delaware County was Vermillion County, which paid the county $300,320 in 2022. Vermillion County is located along the western border of Indiana. Its county seat, Newport, is about 143 miles from Muncie.

Skinner provided the Council with a summary of other activity at the county jail, including monthly jail population in 2022. The month with the most inmates was March last year, with 417 inmates. The smallest was in December, with 301.

Skinner said the jail provided $393,803 in meals in 2022 at a cost of $1.56 per meal. The cost per meal has been inching up each year since 2019, when the cost per meal was $1.42.

The sheriff said he expects that trend to continue.

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He cited good communication between his department, probation, and the courts in using various county programs as being important factors keeping some pretrial defendants out of jail. Defendants are often placed on pre-trial probation or pre-trial home detention. About 80 people were on pre-trial home detention through most of 2022, according to Sheriff’s Department statistics. The number of people on pre-trial probation ranged from as many as 89 in April and May 2022 to as few as 65 in August of last year.

This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: Skinner still in talks to keep federal inmates in Delaware County Jail