Jail Security: The Eye in the Sky Doesn't Lie

This grant program is authorized by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5) (the 'Recovery Act') and by 42 U.S.C. 3751(a). The stated purposes of the Recovery Act are: to preserve and create jobs and promote economic recovery; to assist those most impacted by the recession; to provide investments needed to increase economic efficiency by spurring technological advances in science and health; to invest in transportation, environmental protection, and other infrastructure that will provide long-term economic benefits; and to stabilize state and local government budgets, in order to minimize and avoid reductions in essential services and counterproductive state and local tax increases. The Recovery Act places great emphasis on accountability and transparency in the use of taxpayer dollars.

Among other things, it creates a new Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board and a new website ' Recovery.gov ' to provide information to the public, including access to detailed information on grants and contracts made with Recovery Act funds.

The Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Program funded under the Recovery Act is the primary provider of federal criminal justice funding to state and local jurisdictions. Recovery JAG funds support all components of the criminal justice system, from multi-jurisdictional drug and gang task forces to crime prevention and domestic violence programs, courts, corrections, treatment, and justice information sharing initiatives. Recovery JAG funded projects may address crime through the provision of services directly to individuals and/or communities and by improving the effectiveness and efficiency of criminal justice systems, processes, and procedures.

Mississippi County will use awarded grant funds to increase the security of the Mississippi County Detention Center by deterring dangerous and unlawful conduct while encouraging employee efficiency and productivity. This goal will be achieved through an expanded ability to monitor inmate activities. A secondary goal is to save taxpayers money by reducing or eliminating unnecessary criminal proceedings and by reducing inmate medical costs paid for by the Mississippi County Detention Center. Specifically, grant funds will be used to purchase a ten-camera surveillance system, complete with a touch screen monitor and one terabyte of memory for the detention facility. This addition to the Mississippi County Detention Center will allow the men and women who serve their communities by working in local law enforcement to do so in a safer environment, while promoting professionalism on the job. In addition, the system will increase charges prosecuted by Mississippi County, and reduce litigation costs by providing solid visual evidence of a defendant's actions.

NCA/NCF