BOISE, Idaho — According to a press release from ACSO, the alternative sentencing program have helped alleviate overcrowding, by allowing low-level offenders to reintegrate into their communities, while the jail beds are freed up for high-risk, serious offenders.
However, according to the release, with the boom in population that Ada County has seen over the past few years. As KTVB reported, the jail has been overcrowded for some time.
According to ASCO, there is an average of 2,000 participants in the alternative sentencing programs, which almost doubles the current jail population, which averages roughly 1,000 people. ASCO claims these programs are crucial in controlling the jail population and reducing taxpayer dollars.
ASCO stated, there are some aspects of the jail that have not been updated since 1995. The last significant expansion to the jail was in 2013. Since then, the county's population has increased by more than 30 percent.
The news release stated that the jail exceeded its 949-bed capacity for 354 days of the past year.
"In 2013, the average daily inmate population of the jail was 794, with 80 percent of those inmates being held on at least one felony charge. Over the years, that percentage has gone up in relation to our county's population growth. Year to date, 87.5 percent of today's jail population is made up of inmates charged with felonies," Ada County Sheriff Matt Clifford said.
On the November 2023 ballot, Ada County has proposed a $49 million bond that would provide facility expansions and upgrades, as well as an additional 294 beds.
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