The Marshall County Commissioners set a schedule for a visit from the Indiana Office Court Services to assess the county’s judicial operations.
The visit was initiated by Commissioner Stan Klotz who previously stated that he wants to make sure that government leaders are exhausting all efforts to move inmates through the system before they agree on an expansion of the jail to include a new housing pod to ease overcrowding.
The commissioners set the dates of March 4 or March 18 as possible assessment dates. The review will be conducted by Samantha Goodson who has been conducting studies like the ones set in Marshall County all over the state, according to Klotz.
In the meantime, Sheriff Matt Hassel told the commissioners Monday morning that he continues to look at ways to immediately address the overcrowding issue.
“Sheriff Reynolds of Porter County said he could take 10 inmates and as soon as he works up the paperwork on how to reimburse him he’s going to get back with me,” stated Hassel. “I also talked to Bill Redman, Sheriff of St. Joe County, and he’s going to consider taking 10. So, as soon as I get agreements together we’ll get moving on that.”
No initial terms of reimbursement were available when the commissioners asked the sheriff about them on Monday, but he said the county will have to cover medical costs for the inmates housed in a different facility. He said he will likely transfer inmates who are currently serving their sentence which number in the mid-40s.
“I really don’t want to put people on pre-trial because then we have to go pick them up and bring them back to court.”
Sheriff Hassel said the inmate population on Friday was at 254.
