An agreement has been made to house inmates from the Starke County Jail in the Pulaski County Jail. If the population goes over the rated capacity of 62, a certain number of inmates will be transported to the Pulaski County facility.
Starke County Commissioner Kathy Norem explained that the agreement does come at a price.
“We pay them twenty dollars per day, per inmate and that they will house them, feed them and provide their medical care,” said Norem.
According to Norem, Pulaski County offered the best deal for housing inmates from Starke County.
“The sheriff checked with several of the area jails to see what kind of arrangements we could make with them and the arrangements at Pulaski County were the most affordable,” Norem said.
Norem said the length of the contract is not determined and either party can cancel at any time. The number of Starke County inmates housed in the Pulaski County Jail fluctuates and, as of Friday, there were 14 inmates from Starke County in the Pulaski County facility. Norem says further action is being taken to reduce the population in the Starke County Jail.
“Judge Hall has been particularly good about reducing bonds,” explained Norem. “Sometimes he will do what we call ‘OR’ which is own recognizance – depending on the crime and these have to be non-violent and often first time crimes. City Court Judge does the same thing. We have a book and release program as well that Judge Hall initiated.”
Although the administration and officers from the Starke County Sheriff’s Department and the Knox, North Judson and Hamlet Police Departments are making efforts to keep the jail population at capacity, you should not worry about your safety. Every effort will be made to deter crime in the county.
