Belknap County spends less on inmates than any other in NH

By ROGER AMSDEN, LACONIA DAILY SUN

LACONIA — Belknap County spends less to house prison inmates than any other New Hampshire county, according to a comparison of prison costs that Belknap County Department of Corrections Superintendent Keith Gray will present to the Belknap County Delegation.

His analysis shows that, in the current year, Belknap County’s per-inmate average annual cost is slightly more than $43,000, and the average daily costs is $117.90.

Those numbers come from dividing the department’s 2017 budget of $3,744,200 by the average daily inmate population of 87.

Carroll County’s costs are predicted at just over $56,000 per year and $153.67 per day for 2018.

Those are based on its $3.777 million budget divided by the average daily inmate population of 65.

The highest average cost was Merrimack County, with $103,727 per year and $284.18 a day for its average daily inmate population of 137.

Other counties included in the study were Coos, $216.46 per day, Grafton, $162.33 a day and Sullivan, $186.09 per day.

Gray’s comparison shows that, in 2018, Belknap County’s spending will increase by $500,000, from $3.744 million to $4.245 million, and its average daily cost will be $133.70, which will still be $20 per day lower than Carroll County.

Gray also compared program service costs provided by Belknap County with those provided in Sullivan County. Belknap County’s new Community Corrections Center is modeled on Sullivan County’s and provides similar programs to help inmates deal with addiction problems and readjust to community life once they are released.

Sullivan County’s Trails program has seen an average of 51 inmates per year completing the program since it was started in 2010.

The cost for the program is $411,276 per year or $8.064 per inmate per year.

Belknap County has a three-year contract with Horizons Counseling Center for $220,000, $225,000 and $230,000 through 2020.

Per-inmate costs for 2018 range from $7,338 if 30 inmates are served to $3,669 if 60 inmates are served.

Gray developed the comparisons in response to a request made by Rep. John Plumer (R-Belmont) at a meeting of the delegation on Dec. 13.  Gray reviewed the material at a meeting of the Belknap County Commissioners on Dec. 21.