http://www.dailyindependent.com en-us Copyright CNHI All Rights Reserved. 5 Wed, 12 Mar 2008 01:15:00 +0000 http://www.dailyindependent.com/jailscnhi/local_story_072002304.html http://www.dailyindependent.com/jailscnhi/local_story_072002304.html Some of them were “squirming in their seats,” but 20 members of the House Appropriations and Revenue Committee chose higher cigarette taxes and sales taxes on some services over “devastating” cuts to education and health and human services Tuesday. Thu, 21 Feb 2008 19:58:00 +0000 http://www.dailyindependent.com/jailscnhi/local_story_052195951.html http://www.dailyindependent.com/jailscnhi/local_story_052195951.html A subcommittee of the General Assembly’s Interim Joint Committee on Judiciary would review Kentucky’s penal code with an eye to lowering prison and jail populations – but it wouldn’t have to report its findings until July 1, 2011. Sat, 26 Jan 2008 23:11:00 +0000 http://www.dailyindependent.com/jailscnhi/local_story_026225803.html http://www.dailyindependent.com/jailscnhi/local_story_026225803.html Vince Lang shakes his head, smiling wryly about his timing. At the very time state lawmakers have shown understanding of counties’ financial difficulties in operating county jails, the state faces a major financial crunch. Wed, 23 Jan 2008 00:30:00 +0000 http://www.dailyindependent.com/jailscnhi/local_story_022082103.html http://www.dailyindependent.com/jailscnhi/local_story_022082103.html With county jails across the state bursting at the seams, alternatives to incarceration are getting some attention. Drug court, an intensive rehabilitative program, is one such alternative. Wed, 23 Jan 2008 00:28:00 +0000 http://www.dailyindependent.com/jailscnhi/local_story_022081314.html http://www.dailyindependent.com/jailscnhi/local_story_022081314.html In the grip of the drugs she was abusing, Shannon Byrd said she hit rock bottom when she lost custody of her 15-month-old son, Mason.“Looking back at it today, I wasn’t a very good mother,” said the petite 29-year-old blonde. She lost temporary custody to her parents while strung out on methamphetamine. Wed, 23 Jan 2008 00:27:00 +0000 http://www.dailyindependent.com/jailscnhi/local_story_022082349.html http://www.dailyindependent.com/jailscnhi/local_story_022082349.html Jim Womack knows exactly what the jailer’s office looked like when the Greenup County Detention Center opened in 1990. He walks across the same carpet and sits at the same desk today as county jailer. Mon, 21 Jan 2008 22:33:00 +0000 http://www.dailyindependent.com/jailscnhi/local_story_021221823.html http://www.dailyindependent.com/jailscnhi/local_story_021221823.html Everyone agrees county jails are a major and growing problem, depleting county budgets and straining to house the exploding number of inmates. Mon, 21 Jan 2008 22:32:00 +0000 http://www.dailyindependent.com/jailscnhi/local_story_021221233.html http://www.dailyindependent.com/jailscnhi/local_story_021221233.html There’ve been two studies of how Kentucky funds and manages its county jails in the past two years — a comprehensive audit of all of Kentucky’s jails by state Auditor Crit Luallen in 2006 and a study commissioned by the Department of Corrections which was released by the Pacific Center for Research and Evaluation, the University of Louisville and the University of Kentucky in December, commonly called the “U of L study”. Mon, 21 Jan 2008 13:11:00 +0000 http://www.dailyindependent.com/jailscnhi/local_story_020232842.html http://www.dailyindependent.com/jailscnhi/local_story_020232842.html Elizabeth Hunter “never thought I was pretty enough, smart enough, or witty enough.” Still, the 41-year-old mother of two young children earned two college degrees, one in electrical engineering and another in computer engineering. Mon, 21 Jan 2008 12:57:00 +0000 http://www.dailyindependent.com/jailscnhi/local_story_020232955.html http://www.dailyindependent.com/jailscnhi/local_story_020232955.html Johnny L. Johnson is probably as qualified as anyone to comment on the conditions inside of Kentucky’s county-run lockups. Sun, 20 Jan 2008 23:26:00 +0000 http://www.dailyindependent.com/jailscnhi/local_story_020232705.html http://www.dailyindependent.com/jailscnhi/local_story_020232705.html Alban Wheeler wants a regional recreational center in Rowan County for seniors and young people. He’s located a site and hoped the project could secure state and federal funding — but times are tough.“If we had $700,000 a year, we could float a bond and build the center,” said Wheeler, a retired sociology professor at Morehead State University. Sun, 20 Jan 2008 23:25:00 +0000 http://www.dailyindependent.com/jailscnhi/local_story_020232544.html http://www.dailyindependent.com/jailscnhi/local_story_020232544.html Fred Yaden’s job is simple — protect the public and lock up those who commit crimes.But it’s getting harder for the Laurel County sheriff — he has less money each year and may have to reduce his staff of deputies or cut back services, including doubling up deputies in one patrol car or stop monitoring school crosswalks Sun, 20 Jan 2008 23:23:00 +0000 http://www.dailyindependent.com/jailscnhi/local_story_020232412.html http://www.dailyindependent.com/jailscnhi/local_story_020232412.html A few years ago, Leslie County decided to construct a new 140-bed jail at a time it had about 20 county prisoners, thinking it could produce revenue by housing state prisoners. Construction is complete, but the jail never opened and stands empty.