OTTUMWA -- For the Facebook story of the day our fans wanted to know how much it costs to keep an inmate in county jail.
KTVO spoke with Wapello County jail administrator Jeremy Weller. He says there are a number of factors that go into the cost.
“One of them obviously is medical necessities for inmates,” Weller said. “That changes daily and from year to year. It really fluctuates depending on their necessities here. Another thing that plays into factor is inmate head count.”
Weller added that the number of people in jail on average has dipped down. He estimates the average daily operation of the facility is $60-$65 a day. The total budget for running the jail is about $1.3 million.
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