Fort Collins – Larimer County’s jail is becoming riskier by the day, say officials.
As more inmates crowd the 22- year-old facility, the chances grow that an inmate will be killed or commit suicide or a guard will be hurt trying to break up a scuffle.
And if that happens, a lawsuit is likely to be filed and taxpayers will have to foot the bill to either defend the county in court or to pay out a settlement.
“There’s going to be a price to pay down the road,” said Larimer County Sheriff Jim Alderden.
The county wants to ease pressures at the Larimer County Detention Center by asking voters to approve a financial package to improve the local criminal-justice system. The problem is that the county still doesn’t know what kind of renovation plan to put on the ballot.
“We’re obviously not clear on what we want right now, and if we aren’t clear, that doesn’t translate well to the voters,” said Larimer County spokeswoman Deni LaRue.
Two committees have come up with recommendations, including a jail expansion along with adding on to the alternative-sentencing unit and community corrections. Other proposals call for hiring more prosecutors, additional mental-health support for people on probation, and a juvenile facility.
But at a meeting this month, committee members couldn’t come up with a preferred alternative, LaRue said.
“It was really all over the board,” LaRue said.
They decided to delay a ballot proposal at least until 2006.
That should give officials time to present a clearer picture of the jail’s woes, Alderden said. Voters rejected a jail-expansion proposal in 2003.
Built in 1983 with 152 beds, the jail has been expanded twice to include 548 beds. But because the jail was exceeding its operating capacity for secure jail beds, the county released 196 inmates throughout 2004 who had completed 75 percent of their sentences, said Alderden.
The early-release program has continued into 2005, with 118 inmates released thus far. The jail operates consistently above capacity, reaching a peak of 536 inmates and an average daily population of 502, according to the county.
The national standard for jails to operate in a safe manner is to avoid routinely exceeding 80 percent of their bed capacity, county officials say.
Only those who are deemed nonviolent are released early. Still, releasing them after they’ve served only about 75 percent of their sentences is “just plain nuts,” Alderden said.
Officials also say staffing pressures have forced the jail to put inmates with violent criminal histories into the general inmate population. Craig Forbes was facing charges of motor-vehicle theft, robbery and eluding as well as carjacking when he escaped from the jail May 8.
While he was on the loose, deputies warned the public that Forbes was dangerous and willing to hurt anyone to elude capture. Forbes was captured a day after he escaped, and no one was hurt.
The deputy overseeing Forbes also was trying to watch 72 inmates in three parts of the jail, including the recreation area.
“This is a guy who should have been in the high-security area of the jail, but there was no room for him,” said sheriff’s Lt. Deb Russell.
There has been more inmate-on- inmate violence as the overcrowding has continued, as well as more assaults on deputies, said Maj. Justin Smith, facilities administrator at the jail.
Inmates also are taking advantage of the lack of oversight by learning more about criminal behavior from other inmates.
Smith added: “They are coming out as better criminals than when they came in.”
Staff writer Monte Whaley can be reached at 720-929-0907 or mwhaley@denverpost.com.
