Kootenai Jail Overcrowded

Wed., April 17, 1996

From Staff And Wire Reports

The Kootenai County Jail housed an average of 180 inmates a day during March, according to statistics released by Sheriff Pierce Clegg Tuesday.

The jail was designed to hold only 123 inmates a day. However, the population has continued to climb in recent months.

To keep up with the inmates’ needs, the jail provided 19,840 meals to prisoners during March, Clegg said. They were prepared at an average cost of 72 cents per meal.

Also during March, the sheriff’s labor program put in 2,092 hours of work for the community projects.

Inmates in the program spent the time working at local food banks, the Area Agency on Aging and doing trash pickup along local roadways, Clegg said.

Sheriff’s officials say the work program helps reduce crowding inside the jail. , DataTimes

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Kootenai Jail Overcrowded

Jesse Tinsley

Jim Meehan

Molly Quinn

Rob Curley

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