The Collier County Sheriff’s Office has temporarily reassigned staff and inmates at the Immokalee Jail Center to the Naples Jail Center, a move that will reduce the cost of operations by more than $300,000.
The decision was made after a corrections management team headed by Chief Scott Salley conducted a thorough review into ways that CCSO could provide more cost-effective operations in light of the current economic conditions.
Housing all of the county’s inmates at one jail instead of two facilities for a minimum of 90 days is expected to result in an estimated cost savings of $100,000 a month.
The Immokalee jail will continue to offer 24-hour booking and video visitation.
For persons released from jail that need to return to their homes in the Immokalee area, CCSO will provide public transportation vouchers from the Naples jail to Immokalee.
This reassignment of resources and inmates is possible because of the declining inmate population in Collier County.
The inmate population has been reduced as a result of several diversion programs, including CCSO’s Criminal Alien Task Force, whose efforts have resulted in the removal of 20 to 30 criminal aliens from the jail each week. Other diversion programs that have helped ease overcrowding at the jail include drug court and the pre-trial release program.
If the inmate population projection for the future holds at the current level, it will have a significant impact on the strategic needs for future jail expansion and will reduce annual operating costs, said Sheriff Kevin J. Rambosk.
“We will continue to look at other opportunities throughout CCSO to save money while maintaining current levels of service,” said Sheriff Rambosk.
