A legislative attempt to address the issue of so-called “no-jail jailers” in Kentucky failed to clear a House committee Monday.
A report by the Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting found that 41 counties maintain jailer positions – at annual salaries ranging from $20,000 to around $70,000 – despite having no working jail. Republican Sen. Danny Carroll’s bill would mandate that fiscal courts set responsibilities for those jailers, who would then be required to submit quarterly reports on their work.
But unless the House panel revives the measure in the final days of the session, Carroll says, "it'll be just as it is now and I would say a good chance that some of the jailers that there have been issues with could be making the same amount of money for not doing anything because there's really no one to hold them accountable."
Officials estimate the annual cost of salaries for no-jail jailers at $1.4 million.
