Would a measure included in Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s proposed budget allowing contiguous counties to share jails really help cash-strapped governments become more efficient?

It seems the jury is still out on that one.

The idea to share jails was tucked into the governor’s $193 billion budget proposal and would be accomplished by amending state law. The New York State Association of Counties urged Cuomo’s office last November to give counties the option of sharing jails with one another. His administration had previously showed no interest in the idea but now sees it as a way to help make counties more efficient.

However, Chautauqua County Sheriff James Quattrone said plans to share facilities with Erie or Cattaraugus counties may actually increase costs; he provided The Post-Journal and OBSERVER a list of potential concerns with the proposal.

They include:

¯ the locations of the jails: Between the Chautauqua County Jail in Mayville, the Cattaraugus County Jail in Little Valley and the Erie County Holding Center in Buffalo, all would require lengthy trips when moving inmates around.

“We would still be required to transport inmates for court and other appointments,” Quattrone said. “The distance could potentially increase costs.”

¯ classification: the push by various organizations to reduce jail population and jail staffing does not seem to take into account classification requirements of the various inmates.

The sheriff said classification is the process of assigning inmates to appropriate housing by determining security and supervision requirements and inmate special needs based on screening and risk assessment and pursuant to state Correction Law.

“The reason for being incarcerated and gender are the two main delineations and then there are nine areas that are evaluated for the safety of the jail and the inmates,” he said.

¯ visitation: a push to share jails could potentially “punish” family members and loved ones as it could make it more difficult for visits.

¯ jail population: while the number of inmates is down from previous years due to bail reform and COVID, “We have anticipated the numbers to climb again,” Quattrone said.

In the early months of 2020, there were as few as 110 inmates at the Chautauqua County Jail. At present, the population is at about 185.

¯ timing: “I don’t believe the timing is appropriate until we get a better grasp of how the jail population will settle,” the sheriff said. “How would the jails be staffed and what county might incur the additional costs and liability?”

But there’s other wrinkles in the plan as well: the advocacy group for county sheriffs argues the jail-sharing concept is badly flawed and won’t accomplish what its proponents say it will.

“This would create a lot of problems for the sheriffs, as well as problems for the inmates, their families, the courts and lawyers,” said Peter Kehoe, director of the New York State Sheriffs Association.

Kehoe said transporting inmates from jails outside of the counties where a prisoner is facing charges to courthouses also would result in new burdens for the courts and the counties.

“When we’ve looked at this, it hasn’t generated any savings,” Kehoe said. He called NYSAC “short-sighted” for endorsing the measure and suggested that if savings was the goal, counties could be allowed to share governments.

“If we don’t need the county unit of government for jails, do we need it for anything else?” Kehoe asked.

Added Quattrone: “While I have not spoken directly with Sheriff Whitcomb (in Cattaraugus County) or Sheriff Howard (in Erie County) on this we are in regular contact. I do not believe this proposed change will have much of a financial savings for Chautauqua County and if anything could possibly add to some costs as the County would still be financially responsible.”

SIGNIFICANT SAVINGS

New York’s County Law requires each county to maintain a jail. The local correctional centers are overseen by county sheriffs, who are elected independently of the county legislatures that set county budgets.

In a new report responding to the Cuomo budget, NYSAC welcomed the push to give contiguous counties the option of sharing jails. The measure could help counties “realize significant savings” as county jail populations decline across New York, the association said.

NYSAC was also bullish on having counties get new flexibility in determining minimum staffing levels at the jails. The staffing mandates are based on the number of beds in each facility.

Joe Mahoney of CNHI News Service contributed to this report.