As long as an inmate release program can be administered in a way that doesn’t endanger the public and prisoners can be closely monitored, we believe that it is a good idea for a number of reasons, but mainly from a financial standpoint.

Allen County Detention Center officials are looking at placing some prisoners on home incarceration where they have a chance to save some cash that can be used elsewhere in the jail.

Those who are placed on home incarceration would be required to wear ankle monitors and would be monitored through smartphones – devices that the convicts would have to pay for themselves. The smartphones track the inmates’ location. The phones are programmed to randomly call the person to make sure he or she has not ventured from home and left the phone behind.

The inmate must record several sentences on the phone, so the device will recognize its owner when he or she answers. If the person doesn’t answer – or if someone else answers the phone – it will alert officials.

The phones also remind inmates of their court dates.

This sounds like a very innovative and dependable way to track inmates.

Taxpayers will appreciate that inmates have to pay for these devices. Those who can’t pay for the devices will be incarcerated in the county jail.

By initiating this program, the county will save a lot of money. The home incarceration program doesn’t have any upfront costs.

Operating county jails is costly and finding funds to operate them is a challenge.

In Allen County, especially, this program could be very beneficial since the local government gets no state money for county inmates. Its current jail budget is $1 million and it must use more than $400,000 from its general fund to cover its jail costs.

Initiating this program is not going to help the county make up this money right away, but it is apparent that over time it could do a lot to help cover the shortfall.

Judges in Allen County now have another option instead of incarceration.

We believe this program is very sound in theory. The inmates, not taxpayers, pay for monitoring and, more importantly, it has the potential to save Allen County a lot of money over a period of time.