A problem has emerged as La Plata County’s jail has become the temporary home to inmates from Archuleta County: how to get inmates back to Pagosa Springs when they are released.
Ever since a storm flooded the Archuleta County jail in late April, Archuleta County prisoners have been housed at the La Plata County jail, which is 60 miles away.
Archuleta County deputies transport prisoners back and forth as needed for court hearings, but upon release, it is often up to jailbirds to find their own ride home.
That is because there are liabilities associated with transporting people who are no longer in police custody, said Archuleta County Sheriff Rich Valdez. But Archuleta County officials are working on a solution that would allow former prisoners to be given a ride back to Archuleta County once they are released, he said.
La Plata County Sheriff Sean Smith said releasing Archuleta County prisoners into the local population was a sticking point for La Plata County commissioners when they agreed to house Archuleta County inmates.
Not only is it inconvenient to be released 60 miles from their homes, but it’s also a safety issue, Smith said. When inmates are released, they’re given the possessions they had at the time of arrest. That may include $10, a tank top and slippers, Smith said. That could be a problem in January, he said.
“Our county commissioners are committed to having them released into Archuleta County for all the various reasons,” Smith said.
Flooding at the Archuleta County jail was so bad that county officials plan to build a new jail in a new location. It will likely take 18 months to two years to identify a new location and build a jail, Valdez said.
In the meantime, Archuleta County is considering purchasing or renting temporary holding cells to cut down on the number of inmates who have to be transported back and forth between the two counties, he said.
La Plata County jail is housing an average of 12 to 15 prisoners per day from Archuleta County, according to rough estimates from Valdez.
The jail had about 110 to 115 prisoners total as of this week, which included the Archuleta County prisoners, Smith said. That is far below the jail’s 293-prisoner capacity, he said.
Archuleta and La Plata counties are finalizing an agreement that would provide financial compensation and resolve liability issues, Smith said. He didn’t have an exact figure, but the jail is charging Archuleta County about $53 to $56 per day to house each inmate, he said.
“I don’t envy their situation,” Smith said.
shane@durangoherald.com
