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Hourly Update

Phoenix, other cities explore cheaper jail options

The Associated Press
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 07.16.2008
PHOENIX — Skyrocketing jail costs are forcing the cities of Phoenix and Mesa to look at cheaper jail options.
Cities are looking at building their own jails instead of using Maricopa County lockups.
The decision to look at alternate incarceration is a result of a doubling of the cost of booking an inmate into county jail, from $98.53 in 2002 to $199.35 today.
As of July 1, each day an inmate spends in a Maricopa County jail costs cities $73.46, a 75 percent increase from the 2002 price.
Phoenix police in 2007 booked about 45,700 inmates into county jails, at a cost of about $10.4 million.
It's projected to rise 53 percent, to $17.6 million this year.
County officials said the rate increases were needed to pay for new jails, salary increases for detention officers and nurses, and a host of operational costs involving everything from health care to utilities and food.
Phoenix officials believe they are paying too much.
In an unanimous City Council vote earlier this month, the council directed staff to research building a jail separate to those run by Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio.
A report is expected to reach the council in September.
If the council goes ahead with plans to build its own jail, the facility could be built and running within two and a half years, Phoenix City Manager Frank Fairbanks said.
Mesa officials said they are looking at whether it would be cheaper to send inmates to another private or public facility.
"We're trying to assess whether we can do better if we privatize the process," said Mesa Police Chief George Gascon, referring to the escalating jail costs.
Last year, Mesa booked about 8,873 people, according to sheriff's officials.
Arpaio maintains he runs the county jails as efficiently as possible and that it would not be cost effective for cities to build and run their own jails.
The sheriff also cited a state law that jails be run by county sheriffs.
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