BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) - A southern Montana county is subsidizing the cost of pretrial monitoring - an effort that officials say has saved the county more than $2 million by reducing its jail population.
The Billings Gazette reports Yellowstone County has spent about $300,000 helping defendants pay for their court ordered location, drug and alcohol monitoring since 2015.
Under the subsidy program, the county pays up to $9 a day for 35 defendants who qualify for pretrial release. Defendants in the program often pay just a $1 per day depending on the type of monitoring.
The county spends nearly a $100 per person to jail someone for a day.
All counties in the state will take steps to reduce jail populations next year after a new law is enacted that calls for more diversion.
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Information from: The Billings Gazette, http://www.billingsgazette.com
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