Columbia should pay for inmates in the county jail

IT’S GOOD TO SEE Columbia finally acknowledge it can’t continue to crowd the Richland County jail with inmates without paying its fair share.

After rebuffing the county’s attempt to be reimbursed for jail space for years, City Council says it’ll pay a fee, although members insist it amounts to double taxation for city residents. But the courts have ruled in favor of counties on that issue.

While city taxpayers pay for basic jail service through their county taxes, there are instances in which the county is justified in charging an additional fee. One would be if Columbia uses a disproportionate amount of jail space because of arrests made due to city ordinances not in effect in the county. Another is when the city adopts a policy of locking more people up for particular crimes, such as public drunkenness.

When the strict enforcement of city ordinances in an effort to make residents safer increases jail population and raises costs, the city should pay more.

Beginning July 1, the county will charge $25 per day per inmate the city sends to Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center. The fee applies to municipal offenses — simple assault, first-offense criminal domestic violence and public drunkenness — not general sessions cases.

City officials said the extra cost will require police to cut back on arrests. Police officers will retain discretion, but will be asked to issue more written citations.

Even if the city didn’t face a budget crunch, it would make sense to jail fewer people for offenses that don’t warrant it. We wish state lawmakers, who continue to support policies that crowd our overburdened prison system, would show the pragmatism the city is exhibiting.

That said, as the city seeks to reduce the number sent to jail, it can’t overlook the fact that there will always be folks who must be locked up for the safety of the public. City residents expect a higher level of protection, for which they also should expect to pay. City officials seem to understand. They say while more citations will be issued, arrests will continue for serious crimes, such as first-degree criminal domestic violence.

The county has tried for years to charge the city for every inmate. But the city has avoided that through an agreement with the county that began in 1988. The agreement ends June 30; the county won’t renew it.

The jail faces a budget deficit of its own. Over the years, the county has tried various strategies to manage jail population, but it keeps rising. The cost of operating the jail has increased by $6 million since 2003, while average inmate population has gone up 178 since 2006. The county also had to spend $800,000 more to hire a mental health services company after three mentally ill inmates died at the jail.

In 2003, the county announced it would begin charging municipalities a per diem fee. It was to apply to Columbia, Irmo, Forest Acres, Eastover and area colleges. But county officials said only the University of South Carolina consistently paid it. They said the smaller entities wouldn’t pay because Columbia, the largest user by far, refused to do so.

With Columbia finally agreeing to pay up, the other parties should follow suit.