Too many homeless, mentally ill being housed in jail

The Osceola County jail chief said she's dealing with a new problem: too many homeless and mentally ill inmates. The jail houses nearly 900 inmates on any given day, but the chief said she could cut that number significantly with a new facility.

WFTV's Nancy Alvarez found out how much that move could save taxpayers.

Every day, when Anna Saavedra gets to work, she is faced with the growing homeless problem in Osceola County.

Her office sits directly across from a homeless camp in the woods.

"They lay down here, and they put a carton down so they can stop the wind, and they sleep over here," Saavedra said.

It is a problem and they have to do something about it. Monday, Osceola CountyJail Chief Sherry Johnson took the issue to commissioners.

"They need other alternatives, and incarceration is not it," Johnson said.

Johnson said resources at the jail are taxed by inmates who don't belong there: homeless men and women picked up for trespassing, and residents who are mentally ill.

Johnson said she wants a center where these groups can get help.

"If they are willing to go this program or center, they can get the help they need and not always revert to the jail," Johnson said.

It's a move that would save residents thousands of dollars every month.

Every time a homeless person is taken off the streets and taken to the Osceola CountyJail, it's an extra expense for taxpayers, at about $80 per day per inmate that's in the jail.

"I met an 18-year-old gentleman who just spent 30 days in jail because he stole a candy bar," Commissioner Frank Attkisson said. "We spent $80 as a society a day, $2,400 for the month of incarceration."

Attkisson said he's determined to see the new center become a reality.

"A huge waste of money is going for the incarceration of people who don't need to be locked up," he said.

The chief's presentation also included the results of a jail review that looked at everything from housing to security.

The review found no serious issues at the jail.