Delaware County Turns to Double Bunking Prisoners

Delaware County Sheriff Tom Mills is blaming the explosion of drug use and abuse in the region for forcing the Correctional Division to do something it’s never had to do before: double-bunk inmates.

Mills says the double-bunking of inmates at the Delaware County Correctional Facility in Delhi was initiated last week.

Mills says it’s a first since the jail was built in 2003.

Officials say the vast majority of the inmates in Delaware County are incarcerated for offenses directly related to drugs with a majority needing substance abuse and/or mental health services.

The county had been reaping some income from housing inmates from other areas but were looking at shipping out inmates of their own due to the jail being at capacity. 

The double-bunking increases the number of inmates allowed by state regulations to be housed at the Delaware County facility by about 25%.