Judge Gabbard Discusses Jail Operation Laws & Funding

Counties, as political subdivisions of the state, are tasked with carrying out essential state functions at the local level. One of these critical functions is operating county jails. 
State statute requires counties to provide for the incarceration of people arrested in the county by operating a county jail, utilizing a regional jail, or contracting with another county for the use of its jail (KRS 441.025). 
The cost of county jails is the most significant budgetary challenge faced by most fiscal courts - regardless of whether the county operates a jail or contracts with other counties. In FY2023, counties spent almost $350 million on jails (excludes Fayette and Jefferson). 
The state helps offset some of these costs by providing funding through base allocations and reimbursing counties for housing state inmates.

Bed allotment 
According to KRS 441.206, all counties receive a bed allotment "for the care and maintenance of prisoners charged with or convicted of violations of state law." Jackson County receives around $97,000 bed allotment from the State each year. The allotment is distributed to counties based on a statutory formula that has not been updated in more than 40 years: 
60% based on the amount of the 1983-84 funding formula each county received, or should have received; 
10% based on each county's comparative ranking of median household income in inverse order, as determined by the 1980 federal census of population; and 
30% based on the proportion of each county's age at risk population (18-34) to the state total, as determined by the 1980 federal census of population 
The state budget includes a supplemental $20,000 each fiscal year for closed county jails, in addition to the bed allotment payments. This supplemental payment has remained unchanged at $20,000 since its establishment in FY2006 nearly 20 years ago.

Local corrections assistance fund 
All counties receive an allocation from the local corrections assistance fund, which was established in 2011 to support programs and operations at local correctional facilities, including the transportation of prisoners. The state budget allocated $4.6 million to this fund in FY2025 and FY2026. The first $3 million is distributed equally among all counties, while the remaining funds are allocated based on the number of county inmates in a jail's custody. Jackson County receives around $90,000 per year from the Local corrections assistance fund.

State Inmate Reimbursement 
Jackson County receives around $890,000 per year for housing state inmates. This helps offset the cost to operate our jail but does not pay for it. Our jailer and staff have implicated programs to help offset what reimbursements don't cover but it still comes up well short every year. The Fiscal Court budgets a little over 2 million dollars every year for total jail operations. The jailer does access every bit of money available to help with the gap in funding but the general fund has to make up the deficit. County jails in all small counties struggle financially. Hopefully we can gain more support form the State in years to come.