Mercer County receives first federal inmates



Mercer County Deputy Sheriff Terry Ternes speaks before the county commission during a meeting March 16 about finalizing a contract with the federal government to house federal inmates in Mercer County, which he said could allow the county to receive substantial revenue. The commission gave its blessing, and two days later the county jail took in its first five federal inmates.

Five federal inmates were received in the Mercer County Jail March 18, only two days after Mercer County agreed to enter into a contract with the federal government to house federal prisoners in the jail facility.

On March 16, Mercer County Deputy Sheriff Terry Ternes approached the county commission to present the contract that had been negotiated between the county sheriff’s department and the federal government and answer questions. The commission gave unanimous approval for Ternes to proceed with the contract.

“Once I had the agreement with the commission, we reached out to them, and two days later we had our first federal inmates,” Ternes said. “It’s two months at least from where I thought we’d be. It shocked me, but it’s a happy shock.”

Ternes has been pushing for getting this contract in place, as the agreement with the federal government brings in substantial revenue for the sheriff’s department that in turn helps provide job security for department employees and financial relief for the county budget and county taxpayers.

At this point, Ternes said the plan is to only have the five inmates, although the contract allows Mercer County to house up to 20 federal prisoners. That gives the sheriff’s department time to see how things go and work out any kinks with the new process.

However, Ternes added that he expects to start getting more federal inmates in the near future, so that the county can start seeing that additional revenue coming in. Due to uncertainties in the county related to coal-based revenue sources, he said bringing in these federal prisoners would ensure a new line of revenue is flowing that can help offset some of those challenges.

Ternes said the net revenue the county would see per year, just from having five federal inmates, would be about $112,000. If the maximum 20 federal prisoners are housed in Mercer County, Ternes said the revenue generated (about $450,000) would be enough to offset three quarters of the jailer and dispatch staff salaries.

According to Ternes, the budgeting process will have the county auditor bill the federal government on a monthly basis. There will be the equivalent of an $18 per day increase in the sheriff department’s budget in order to house prisoners, but the general fund will receive the equivalent of $80 a day from the federal government, resulting in the net revenue to the county of $62 per day per prisoner.

Currently, Ternes said the sheriff’s department plans to streamline its existing staff as much as possible and take on the additional duties and responsibilities with their current personnel.

“If at full steam we’re having issues with overtime, to the point that it’s costing as much for overtime as it would be to have another jailer, then we could look at maybe hiring another position,” he said.

Part of that streamlining process involves cross-training field deputies so they are also able to act as jailors if needed. Ternes said many deputies have been correctional officers before, but would still be required to recertify.

This cross-training allows more of a rotation so that any holes in jail coverage can be filled in using that existing staff.

Ternes reiterated that none of the federal prisoners would be released in Mercer County, with the only exception being if they came from Mercer County in the first place. These prisoners are currently awaiting sentencing in federal court, and will be turned back to the custody of a federal law enforcement officer when the sentence is given, even if the verdict is “not guilty”.

If the prisoner needs to be transported in Mercer County for medical care, it would only occur with a minimum of two armed guards present at all times. Ternes said the federal government pays the costs associated with having those guards during the transport, as well as reimbursing any mileage related to it. Medical bills are also billed directly to the federal government.

Ternes said the federal inmates coming into the jail would mostly be arrested on charges related to financial and drug crimes.

“We have to maintain all state and local regulations of a Class 1 jail facility,” he said. “We need to meet all the dietary needs of the prisoners every day.” He added the facility receives approval from state inspectors who monitor these conditions for a living.

The Mercer County Jail employes a jail nurse, who can help treat ailments like seasonal illnesses and headaches, as well as intervene if a more serious issue arises in order to ensure the prisoner receives proper treatment.

The jail facility also has two rec rooms, and prisoners are allotted one hour each day for rec time. They can also purchase (with their own money) certain products on hand at the facility, like candy bars and soda pops.

In all of these situations, there is no difference for the federal inmates the county receives as a result of the new contract and the prisoners who are already housed at the Mercer County Jail.

“All our prisoners are treated the same,” Ternes said, clarifying that certain prisoners might be checked by jail guards more often than others, depending on their situation, but none of this relates to them being or not being federal inmates. “We treat all federal and local inmates the same, and the federal prisoners have to follow all our jail procedures.”

Besides the overall help to the county budget as a whole, Ternes said he sees a specific benefit to programs like the Mercer County Youth Bureau and Task Force, as having the equivalent of so much of the department’s salaries covered through the federal contract enables more funding to help with those programs.

“We haven’t lost any of the problems we’re seeing out there, but we are looking at tough budgetary times,” he said. “And that’s what we’re trying to do here is offset that.

“We have one of the best if not the best sheriff’s department and personnel in the state,” he added. “We’re gonna make this work.”

Leave a Reply