Due to overcrowding at the Larimer County Jail, officials were recently forced to reconfigure several housing areas to accommodate the growing number of female inmates.
Jail officials converted a special male housing area over to female housing to relieve some of the overcrowding and insure the safety and care of the inmates. The male inmates in this housing area were either moved to the general population or to other areas that could accommodate their special needs, i.e. medical concerns. The moves created additional staffing requirements due to the increased number of inmates in specific areas. This is intended to be a short term solution.
Additional actions taken include adding temporary beds in some areas and early release of some inmates. In the female housing area, early release procedures are implemented when the count reaches 53. The count is currently at 75, the maximum number allowed. Early releases are used only as the last resort to control the population.
The female population has increased 48% over the last year going from 51 in February 2010 to 75 in February 2011. The average number of total inmates in January was 493.
While the facility was designed to handle 533 inmates current funding only allows for a cap of 460 inmates. Inmates must be segregated to separate housing units based on gender, seriousness of charges, protective custody requirements, behavioral and medical issues. As a result, jail capacity is governed by the specific population incarcerated not the total capacity available.