Fayette County Jail could soon house federal inmates, officials say
The Fayette County Jail could soon become one of the few facilities in the region to begin housing federal inmates.
Fayette County Commissioners voted unanimously last week to enter into a contract with the U.S. Department of Justice to house federal inmates waiting for trial.
"There's only a few facilities in this region, the southwestern Pennsylvania region, that house federal inmates. So, Allegheny County used to, but I believe they do not anymore. I know that Butler does. I've spoken to their warden, and they house a good bit of federal inmates, but I think Butler is the only one right now in this area housing federal inmates," said Fayette County Jail Warden John Lenkey.
Fayette County Commissioner David Lohr said the decision behind it is to cut costs and save money. Lohr said this is an option they considered before the new jail opened.
"It's going to help us on the budget," Lohr said.
If approved, Lohr said they'll receive $96 per day for each prisoner.
"It'll cover a lot of the cost of the jail, and I mean, we still have a payment to be made on a new facility, and that's going to really help out a lot for that," Lohr said.
Lenkey said they'd house between 15 and 20 inmates at a time, with the possibility of up to 100.
The maximum population at the jail is 336. Currently, they're housing around 200.
KDKA-TV asked if security was a concern when housing federal inmates.
"Our staff is well trained, and I have full confidence that I know they know what they're doing," Lohr said.
The jail has 53 full-time correctional officers right now and 16 part-time officers.
"For the sake of having the federal inmates here, there's no need for any more staff to accommodate more inmates," Lenkey said.
Right now, it's unclear if the deal would include housing ICE detainees. Lenkey said it's not out of the realm of possibilities.
"Whoever the federal government brings to us, we're going to accept them as long as we can place them here and they fit within our numbers," Lenkey said.
Lohr called the opportunity a win-win for the county and federal government.
"The one thing that everyone has to remember, anything that deals with the government, no matter what it is, is that our tax dollars are paying the bill. So, we should be looking to cut that cost as much as possible. So, if we can house prisoners here for the federal side, that's going to have court in Pittsburgh or wherever they may be, and it's less expensive to transport them, why not? Why not do that? So, it saves us all in the long run," Lohr said.
The jail board meeting to vote is scheduled for next week. If approved, the warden said federal inmates could begin being housed at the jail within two weeks.
"We look forward to working with the federal government in this aspect," Lenkey said.
