Putnam County will receive additional yearly revenue thanks to the county jail receiving a higher certification to house state inmates.
Sheriff Eddie Farris said the Tennessee Corrections Institute has a two-tiered program that sets a daily rate for jails to house state inmates. Farris said in 2022, the county jail became a tier one facility, which added six dollars per day for every state inmate housed.
“So I’m glad to report as of this week, we finally reached tier two, and so that added another six dollars a day for our state inmates,” Farris said. “That’s approximately $330,000 a year that we will be bringing in revenue.”
Farris said Putnam County is now only the third county in the state to receive tier-two status.
The requirements for tier-two status are to have two evidence-based programs that focus on life skills and behavioral health, and also have a designated employee to oversee compliance. Farris commended Major Tim Nash and his staff for achieving the certification.
“It was difficult to do, but we are doing a lot of things right in the jail to make sure we get it done,” Farris said.