SALEM, Ore. (AP) — A proposal to house low-level felons in county jails for up to two years is meeting resistance from sheriffs who say their jails are already crowded.
But the Salem Journal-Statesman reports lawmakers say the move is intended to prompt discussion of alternatives to prison, which costs the state about $84 per inmate per day.
Jail costs per inmate differ by county. Washington County jail manager Rob Gordon says the proposal to increase the time low-level felons spend in county jails could increase his inmate population by 40 percent.
Under a 1995 law, low-level felons with sentences of one year or less go to county jails. In exchange, the state supports community corrections programs, which are less expensive than incarceration.
