County jails across Kentucky are experiencing a financial crunch under the state's mandate that has, so far, released 2,100 state inmates early in an effort to save money and help rehabilitation. Some of the inmates are housed at county jails. Christian County officials thought their jail in Hopkinsville was a moneymaker since it housed both county and state inmates, and officials expanded it from 94 beds in the 1990s to its current 707 beds, but Jailer Brad Boyd says some years its income outweighed its expenses, but now that 58 state inmates have been released early it has more beds than needed and may need $2.5 million from the county to help offset losses. Jails in Kentucky have 19,727 beds today, which is almost double what it had in 2000, jails across the state have been overbuilt to accommodate more state inmates. The reduction in inmates is expected to save the state $40 million annually, but it will be hard on counties, which also rely on inmates for work programs. The Kentucky Jailers Association, the Kentucky Association of Counties and the Kentucky County Judge-Executive Association gave their endorsements to the early-release law knowing they might take a hit to their budgets.
