Sullivan County Jail: Cost Analysis of Boarding Out vs. Building New
Two options are available to address the issue of the Jail: Boarding out prisoners to neighboring County Jails OR Construction of a new Sullivan County Jail facility
Boarding out Prisoners to Neighboring County Jails Under this option, Sullivan County would continue to operate the existing Jail facility. It is important to note, Sullivan County must continue to operate a jail in some capacity. New York State will NOT allow the County to abandon its own jail operations 100%.
Existing Jail Capacity The Sullivan County Jail currently has 207 cells, 60 of which are below the State standard of 60 square feet. New York State does not favor situations in which a jail facility is operating above 80% capacity. With 147 cells meeting State s sizing standards, it is estimated that the existing facility could hold 118 inmates when operating within the State s 80% guidelines. The boarding out model assumes 118 inmates as maximum in-house capacity. Any number of inmates above this number are assumed to be boarded out
Operating Costs for Boarding Out Operating costs currently budgeted for the Sullivan County Jail are as follows: Personal Services: $4,838,347.00 Employee Benefits: $2,380,882.00 Contractual Expenses: $1,892,405.00 Transportation for boarding out prisoners in today s economy is estimated at $80,440.00 (This figure is based on transporting all outboarded prisoners to the Orange County Jail in Goshen, NY utilizing a fleet of 4 vehicles).
Substandard Facilities If Sullivan County chooses to board out inmates, renovations will still be necessary at the existing Sullivan County Jail. In addition to several aspects of the facility that currently fail to meet State Standards, there is an extensive list of infrastructure deficiencies.
Substandard Facilities: Items Failing to Meet State Standards 60 cells are only 48 sq. ft. in size, 12 sq. ft. short of the State s minimum standard of 60 sq. ft. The existing recreational yard is 1004 square feet. State standards dictate that this area be a minimum of 1500 square feet. These renovations are estimated to cost approximately $500,000.00 Every inmate under the age of 21 that does not possess a diploma is required to take classes at the jail for at least 3 hours per day. The existing facility does not have adequate classroom space to meet this requirement. The total cost of renovations for the classroom space is $90,000.00 to $120,000.00.
Substandard Facilities: Necessary Repairs The existing Jail facility will require significant repairs in the very near future, including replacement of 12-15 year old modular cells that were intended for 5 years of usage, cell doors and locking systems of the main jail which are outdated and must be retrofitted, sewer lines and electrical conduits to be replaced, replacement of the fire alarm and repression system, and improvements to air circulation and cooling systems. The cost of these repairs will be approximately $6 million, which amounts to an annual debt service payment of $1.5 million for a five year period, to begin in the year 2012.
Substandard Facilities Due to the building s age (approximately 100 yrs. Old), a complete structural evaluation and appropriate testing is warranted. Due to the building s location, there is no room for expansion. Should additional space become a necessity in the future, it will not be provided at this site.
Facility Populations and Current Daily Cost of Boarding Out In 2007, the average daily population was 196 inmates To meet State guidelines of 118 inmates, the County would have a daily out-boarded population of 78 The projected cost per day for boarding out is $129.00 per inmate in the current fiscal year. Annual boarding out costs would total $3,672,630.00 for 78 inmates in 2008.
2008 Baseline Established The total annual costs for the boarding out option, with operating costs of the Sullivan County facility, transportation, and boarding costs at the Orange County facility combined, is estimated at $12,864,704.00 annually, with a daily cost per inmate of $179.83 This does NOT account for the estimated debt service for repairs to begin in 2012.
Construction of a New Jail The estimated total for construction of a new County Jail is $78 million This number accounts for approximately $63 million in actual construction costs and $15 million in additional costs, such as engineering, consultation, land acquisition, etc.
Construction of a New Jail $63 million for construction will provide the following: 11,122 sq. ft. for Entry and Administration 13,463 sq. ft. for Security Services and Operations 8,923 sq. ft. for Inmate Programs and Services 20,330 sq. ft. for Support Services 75,826 sq. ft. for Inmate Housing 296 sq. ft. for Sherriff s Department Operations Source: LaBella Associates, Option #3 Revised 1/24/08
Projected Operating Costs and Debt Service The new facility would begin to operate in 2012 Operating costs are estimated as follows: Personal Services: $5,445,606.00 Employee Benefits: $2,679,708.00 Contractual Expenses: $2,129,923.00 Total operating costs: $10,255,237.00 Annual debt service payments based on a 25 year period amounts to $5,534,292.00
Total Projected Costs for New Jail With Debt Service accounted for, the annual cost of a new county jail in 2012 would be $15,789,529.00, with a daily cost per inmate of $205.51.
Boarding Out vs. Building If we assume the following: Operating costs will escalate at a rate of 3% per year (based on CPI Index) Daily population average will escalate at a rate of 1.8% per year Transportation costs will escalate at a rate of 4% per year A debt service payment annually of $1.5 million for repairs We can project that total costs for boarding out inmates will be $16,780,253.00 in the year 2012, with a daily cost per inmate of $218.40 There is an assumption of $0.00 revenues under each scenario (boarding out and building).
Boarding Out vs. Building Building a new jail will prove to be a more cost effective option. In 2012, Boarding out inmates will have a daily cost per inmate of $218.40 as opposed to $205.51 if a new jail is constructed.
Boarding Out vs. Building As demonstrated in the chart below, each year projected realizes greater cost savings for the build model as opposed to the boarding out model. MODEL 2012 2015 2018 2021 2024 2027 2030 2033 2036 Board Out Data provided reflects the estimated increase of daily cost per inmate in three year intervals $218 $233 $231 $249 $269 $290 $313 $339 $366 Build $206 $207 $208 $210 $212 $214 $217 $220 $177
Daily Cost Per Inmate $400 Estimated Daily Cost Per Inmate $350 $300 $250 $200 $150 $100 $50 Board Out Build $0 2012 2015 2018 2021 2024 2027 2030 2033 2036 Year
Total Costs New Jail Vs. Boarding Out Prisoners $50,000,000 $45,000,000 Total Annual Costs for Outboarding Total Costs for New Jail $40,000,000 $35,000,000 $30,000,000 $25,000,000 $20,000,000 $15,000,000 $10,000,000 $5,000,000 $- 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 2031 2032 2033 2034 2035 2036 Year