A bill dealing with county jailers who don’t have a jail to run has passed the Kentucky Senate and now heads to the House. Under the bill, jailers would have to file quarterly progress reports with their local fiscal courts. The measure sponsored by Republican Sen. Danny Carroll of Paducah would also require fiscal courts to outline no-jail jailers’ duties every year.
"This bill is not in any way an indictment on jailers whatsoever. However, it is designed to build some accountability and transparency in the situations where a jailer does not have a jail to operate," said Carroll.
Democratic Rep. Jim Wayne of Louisville says the state’s jailer system should be streamlined.
“What happens is sometimes these jailers misuse their positions, they may not do work. They may not do work, they may just be elected to gather a salary and health insurance but not be accountable for anything,” Wayne said.
There are 41 Kentucky counties that have closed their jails for budgetary or compliance reasons since the 1970s. All of those counties still have a jailer—a constitutionally required office in Kentucky—but some of those jailers don’t do much. No-jail jailers and their deputies bring home salaries ranging from $20,000 and $70,000 per year, costing the state nearly $2 million per year.
