CCA Costs More in Kentucky

Ron Herrington, who runs the Henderson County Jail in Kentucky, was really looking forward to the new year.  The state released 31 prisoners from his facility as part of a larger reduction in the state's incarcerated population on January 3.  The state is releasing prisoners as a way to save money; it will instead focus more on improving rehabilitation, especially for low-risk offenders who are not well-served by spending time behind bars.  But Mr. Herrington seemed even more excited due to the fact that the state's 2 contracts with CCA expired at the end of the year.  Because, he said, "[CCA] has two private prisons in Kentucky that hold many prisoners who could be housed in qualified county jails...for substantially lower cost."