Upgrades on the way for Boyd jail

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March 16, 2010

Officials hope work will lead to housing of more prisoners

Mike James/The Independent The Daily Independent Tue Mar 16, 2010, 11:24 PM EDT

Catlettsburg — Security system upgrades are on the way to the Boyd County Detention Center.

Commissioners on Tuesday agreed to hire a Glasgow company to install a control system, cameras and other hardware in the jail, and repair some existing equipment.

Star-Tel Systems will put in 43 cameras, fix “scream alarms” and install more of them, and replace an outmoded and breakage-prone panel that controls locks, cell doors, lights and phones, said Kelly White, a consultant for the jail.

The project will cost the county $199,800 for the equipment and installation and then $1,099 per month over a 48-month period for maintenance.

The county had been shopping for the improvements for some time and saved money by waiting: Commissioners turned down a low bid of $340,000 last year.

The cameras will record and store video for 365 days. The additional cameras will make it easier for jail officials to document what happens out of their direct eyesight, according to Jailer Joe Burchett. For instance, if inmates get into a fight or damage something, the video will serve as evidence to determine who caused the trouble, he said.

He will be able to access the video in real time on his computer at home, he said. The cameras also will monitor other parts of the jail, such as the booking area.

Burchett said the control system was obsolete when it was installed in 1991 and is prone to breakdowns that require expensive repairs.

The county hopes the improvements, and others made in recent months, will make it possible for the jail to house more prisoners, especially state prisoners.

Jails typically are allowed to hold prisoners convicted of low-level, nonviolent felonies, and the state pays just under $31 per day. For many county jails operating on shoestring budgets, housing state prisoners makes the difference between a deficit and operating in the black.

The state Department of Corrections last year imposed a 220-prisoner cap after it found the jail was housing 356 inmates, 150 more than its capacity.

The first inmates to be moved were the state ones.

MIKE JAMES can be reached at mjames@dailyindependent.com or (606) 326-2652.

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Officials hope work will lead to housing of more prisoners

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