Preventing and responding to crime is only half of the job of Tompkins County sheriff -- it also entails oversight over the local correctional facility.
The hulking 92-bed, 24-year-old public safety complex on Warren Road has been a bit of a sore spot in recent years.
County legislators spent close to half a million dollars on studies before, in 2004, voting against following a state recommendation to replace the cramped and crumbling complex with a $20 million, 136-inmate capacity facility.
The state responded by removing some variances, which further limited capacity and forced the county to incur the costs of sending inmates to facilities in other counties.
In the race to the polls for the Democratic primary, incumbent sheriff Peter Meskill is quick to point out how he has managed to get those variances restored and save nearly $250,000 per year as a result.
Informal agreements with other counties willing to pick up inmates has resulted in even further savings in fuel and overtime costs, he said.
Under his watch, the jail also received its first certificate of accreditation from the state Commission of Correction, for meeting standards above those required as part of annual inspections.
"We are running an efficient jail; we run it very really well. We are very conscious of the county taxpayer dollars and we utilize an outdated building to its maximum ability," Meskill said.
During recent renewed legislative discussions about the future of the jail, Meskill advised against building a new facility.
"I think we can make do," Meskill said. "As long as we can keep the building safe, secure and habitable, I would much rather have money to put more deputies on the streets."
Challenger Ken Lansing -- the former police chief of Cayuga Heights who is also running on the Independence Party line and has vowed to battle until November regardless of the outcome on Sept. 14 -- agreed that now is not the time to consider such a capital project.
He said he was presented with the proposal of joining forces with other counties, such as Cortland, to build a joint facility.
"It would be something that I would be more than willing to look at," Lansing said.
In the meantime, he said it would be his duty to continue to address overcrowding at the current facility, and make sure the county meets state mandates of care there.
Lansing wants to go beyond the minimum standards and he said he will work closely with agencies like the Department of Social Services and Opportunities, and Alternatives and Resources (OAR) to equip inmates with all the tools they need to become productive members of society when they leave.
Not only does that benefit the inmates, their families and taxpayers, but reducing the likelihood that they will again resort to crime is one of the best ways to prevent future overcrowding, he said.
As a member of the Alternatives to Incarceration advisory board and the board of directors at Cayuga Addiction Recovery Services for 13 years, Lansing feels well equipped to handle the task.
"I feel my experience there will mesh well with what needs to happen, and I know a lot of the people already," Lansing added.
Meskill said he also agrees with the principles of alternatives to incarceration, and has supported the establishment of a multi-agency re-entry program at the jail.
"The vast majority of inmates come back into our community to live when they are released, so we have got to do the best we can within reason and finances to try to make those people better and give them the resources they need to become productive," Meskill said.
