BILLINGS, MT- Today the Yellowstone County commissioners sent a letter in response to the city of Billings and Mayor Bill Cole regarding their request for a jail needs assessment to expand to the Yellowstone County Detention Facility in order to get a handle on the growing crime concern in the Magic City.
In the letter county commissioners say in part quote "At this point, the county believes the jail needs assessment is premature and there are more feasible alternatives to address overcrowding."
the letter also goes on to say, "The county still owes approximately seven million dollars for the most recent expansion of the detention center."
Last month we spoke to Sheriff Linder on the issue he said, “Even if you get more beds you can’t use them because the detention facility is short-staffed,” and today's letter also addresses this concern.
According to the letter, the most significant issues of the overcrowding are the delays in moving trials along and the lack of movement of federal inmates to the Department of Corrections Facility in Deer Lodge."
The county says they value the collaborative relationship with the city on solving this issue, but they must prioritize managing financial resources and explore more cost-effective solutions before moving forward with expanding the jail.
