Sheriff Alan Cloninger wants the county to lease 100 of the bracelets, which rely on GPS technology to monitor the location of suspects and criminals who would otherwise be locked up. He hopes to use the devices on a two-year trial while tracking the system’s effectiveness.   Judges would have discretion over when to allow use of the bracelets. People charged with acts of domestic violence or arrested for failing to appear in court would be likely candidates, Cloninger said.

Leasing 100 bracelets would cost an estimated $240,000 a year, Cloninger said. County commissioners are expected to vote on the investment Feb. 26, but they are concerned about additional personnel Cloninger also requested to run the program. Nine and a half new positions – including five deputies, two telecommunicators and a sergeant – would be needed, Cloninger said …

The Gaston County Sheriff’s Office receives $60 per inmate per day to house federal prisoners at the jail. But an overpopulation of local and state inmates often prevents them from taking full advantage of that lucrative program.   Freeing up 100 beds for federal prisoners could allow the ankle bracelet program to pay for itself, he said.    “I don’t know of any other way to reduce the jail population in a quick manner,” he said.

Ankle bracelets are the first in a three-phase approach Cloninger has recommended to address jail overcrowding.   The second phase would involve “infilling” unused recreation space in the jail with 70 new beds. The upgrade would cost about $6.5 million for design and construction, and would take 18 months to two years to complete, said Gaston County Manager Jan Winters.   Cloninger’s third phase calls for a larger 440-bed expansion that could cost $70 million, although federal economic stimulus money could bring that expense down.   Another option might be to add 140 beds with another level on the current jail, although it is uncertain that the foundation could support the extra weight, Cloninger said …

“The issue is how do we delay building a new multi-million-dollar jail,” Winters said. “Can we save money by avoiding or delaying construction?”    The average daily population at the Gaston County Jail rose from 449 inmates in 2004, to 541 inmates in 2008, Cloninger said. The jail has 584 beds, but its prisoner total often pushes 580 or 590 – especially on weekends and during the summer, Cloninger said. Exceeding capacity violates state law.

There is a lot more operational detail at the Gaston Gazette.