Nearly half of Indiana’s county jails are full or almost full. Instead of releasing felons to stop the overcrowding, the state legislature is considering a bill that would allow county sheriffs to transfer non-violent inmates to jails that have room.
The Indiana passed the bill Monday that would allow county sheriffs to contract with the Department of Corrections to establish regional holding facilities. A sheriff would then have the option to transport the non-violent, low-level felons to those locations until the county jail no longer exceeds capacity.
The bill must now pass the Senate to become law.
