TROY – Up to 40 of Boone County’s pre-trial detainees are being temporarily housed at the Lincoln County Jail in an agreement made official last month.
“This partnership among Missouri counties makes good use of existing space rather than asking taxpayers to fund costly new construction,” said Lincoln County Sheriff Rick Harrell. “It provides revenue that helps offset the cost of operating the jail and supports the broader mission of public safety in Lincoln County. While this revenue does not solve our long-term funding challenges, it slows financial losses and helps us avoid further cuts to staff.”
Before this partnership, the year’s daily detainee population at the Lincoln County Jail each day was 143. So far, with the added inmates from Boone County, the count has climbed to 164, which Harrell says remains within the jail’s safe operating capacity.
At the highest point in 2018, Harrell said the jail averaged 224 inmates daily. All of the inmates from Boone County will be pre-trial detainees, with most of them facing charges for serious and violent offenses. Timing of hearings and any postponements will likely determine or contribute to the length of an inmate’s jail stay which is likely to vary.
“Some may be held only a few weeks while awaiting hearings, and others may remain longer if their cases are delayed. On average, we expect time frames to range from several weeks to several months,” Harrell said.
During recent years, the per day inmate population has shrunk, according to Harrell, from an offense rate of 18.52 per 1,000 people in 2018 to 15.24 in 2024. As mass incarceration has risen, it has also become a growing concern. In 2019, Missouri’s bail reform launched by the Supreme Court addressed mass incarceration which, “requires judges to consider flight risk and public safety rather than a defendant’s ability to pay cash bail.”
“This has led to fewer low-risk, non-violent offenders being held in jail pretrial. At the same time, there are far fewer federal detainees in our facility compared to just a few years ago,” Harrell said.
According to Harrell, the agreement between the two counties is ongoing, renewable, and adjustable, as needs arise. Inmate transportation, per Harrell, will be a combined effort between the two agencies.
“The biggest challenge for Lincoln County remains the same as in recent years and that is hiring and retaining qualified staff,” Harrell said. “Corrections is one of the most difficult and dangerous jobs in law enforcement, yet our wages are not competitive with surrounding jurisdictions. That makes it harder to keep positions filled. This contract will hopefully help to avoid further budget cuts, but the broader challenge of staffing and fair compensation for both corrections officers and deputies is ongoing.”