ULSTER COUNTY – The Ulster County Comptroller’s office has finished their audit of the Ulster County Jail and it is now being assessed by the Sheriff’s and County Executive’s office to see what immediate implementations can be made.
Ulster County Executive Pat Ryan said the jail is too large for their current population and it is creating budgetary pressure, as well as pressure on the correctional staffing. He said the formal process, which goes through the NYS Corrections Commission, can take years, but he and Sheriff Juan Figueroa are working on the immediate efforts they can.
“In the meantime, there are also immediate things we can do in terms of making on-the-ground adjustments of how we’re staffing and how many pods we have open, so that’s what the Sheriff and I have been engaging on with our teams,” said Ryan. “I’m optimistic that we’ll be able to address that dynamic of, right now, what is a cost that just doesn’t make sense for the service that we’re getting,” he said.
One of the possible solutions he suggested is to shut down some of the unused pods; however, Ryan maintains the ultimate goal will be eventually to find a balance between justice reforms and smart budgeting.
