Jan 25, 2007 By Amy Zalar 3 min read

The average daily population at the Fayette County Prison decreased last year over the prior year, and Warden Larry Medlock is hoping it is a sign of things to come. During Wednesday’s Prison Board meeting, Medlock said the prison population is starting out 2007 lower than it started in 2006. “I hope we stay that way. We’ll see what happens,” Medlock said.

On Wednesday, the population at the prison stood at 228 inmates, including 200 males and 28 females. Medlock said the female inmate population was a little high due to a “recent prostitution bust.”

Medlock also pointed out that currently the county is not paying to house any prisoners in out-of-county jails. Medlock reported the county spent $51,102 to house inmates in other counties last year, which was a significant drop from the $236,971 spent for that purpose in 2005.

Medlock said in 2006, the average daily inmate total dropped to 236, compared to a 268 average for inmates the prior year. He said the January 2007 population was down 5.9 percent compared to the January 2006 population, and the December 2005 population dropped 1.3 percent compared to the December 2004 population.

Regarding expenses at the prison during the year, Medlock said a total of $3,834,220 was spent, which resulted in the prison coming in $5,115 under budget. However, Medlock cautioned that some bills are outstanding, and the prison may not end the year under budget.

Commission Chairwoman Angela M. Zimmerlink said she doesn’t believe the prison will end the year under budget. She also expressed concern about a transfer of funds from the jail cell rental line item to the telephone line item, cautioning Medlock about having budgetary problems later in the year. “I don’t like budget transfers. It is difficult to keep track,” Zimmerlink said.

For 2007, the commissioners put $150,000 in the prison budget for out-of-county jail cell rental, a drop from $300,000 in the 2006 budget.

Also in the annual report, Medlock reported that during the year, 2,467 inmates were processed into the institution and 2,455 inmates were processed out of the prison. A total of 232 major infractions of prison rules of inmate conduct were reported, the most common of which was failure to promptly obey a legitimate order of a staff member and possession of contraband, which is anything not specifically authorized by the prison administration.

Only one extraordinary occurrence was reported to the state Department of Corrections during the year – an attempted suicide.

Medlock reported the prison was inspected earlier this month, but he did not have the results of that inspection available at the meeting.

The prior inspection, on April 15, 2006, revealed no violations, but the inspector made several recommendations, and all seven have been implemented.