Jail expenses threaten to gobble up county’s revenue growth

By Conor Shine

Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2015 | 12:42 p.m.

Continued overcrowding at the Clark County Detention Center is costing the county millions of dollars in overtime and creating an alarming budget deficit, County Manager Don Burnette said today.

The amount the county spends operating the jail has ballooned from $177 million in 2011 to $210 million this year, a 19 percent increase, Burnette told the County Commission. That’s led to a structural deficit where expenses are outpacing revenues by $22 million this year.

The length of inmate stays at the jail have been growing for several years, requiring staff to work more overtime.

The average length of stay has grown from 16 days to 24 days over the last four years, while overtime costs have increased by $15 million a year since 2011. Two factors have played a major role in the length of stays: a 2011 increase in bail fees in Las Vegas Justice Court and slow turnaround on reports needed before an inmate is sentenced.

Without action, the problem threatens to get worse, Burnette said.

The jail’s reserve fund has dwindled from $92 million to $21 million as commissioners have borrowed from it to pay for day-to-day operations. The fund could be depleted within two years without any changes, Burnette said.

Burnette said it’s possible all of the revenue growth in the county over the last year will be eaten up covering deficits at the jail, leaving limited money for other needs at University Medical Center and Metro Police.

The issue has gotten the attention of top criminal justice leaders, with District Attorney Steve Wolfson, Public Defender Phil Kohn, Chief Judge Joe Bonaventura and Sheriff Joe Lombardo all testifying before the commission today.

Kohn said low-level offenders who can’t afford the high bails are spending more time in jail than needed.

Wolfson said two pilot programs are being launched in March to speed up the judicial process and reduce jail overcrowding.