On Monday, the population at the Bay County Jail and annex reached 1,100 and 11 inmates, about 500 over capacity. The Walton County Jail population has grown to 236, more than double what it was designed to hold.
Officials say the Deltona case may be playing a part in the overcrowding. Florida corrections officials fired four probation officers for allegedly failing to keep custody of the lead suspect in the Deltona murders.
Local authorities say the firings could explain increasing arrests by probation officers.
Dennis Wise, Walton County Public Information Officer, says, “They're spending more time with their individuals that they're watching over and they're paying more attention to what they're doin’, where they're goin’ and what they're reporting.”
It costs taxpayers an average $45 a day to house one prisoner.
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