Canyon County officials worry about crime rate

CALDWELL, Idaho (AP) -- Authorities in Canyon County say the rejection by voters last week of a $46 million bond to build a new jail means the crime rate could go up and that justice sometimes can't be enforced.

The prisoner population is capped to avoid a civil-rights lawsuit.

Caldwell police Chief Chris Allgood says the county is letting people out of jail that he wants to keep in jail and he's concerned about the crime rate.

Canyon County Prosecutor John Bujak tells the Idaho Statesman that the county can't enforce it's brand of justice because there's not enough room at the jail.

The jail population was limited to 296 following a class-action lawsuit that contended the jail had inhumane conditions when it held as many as twice that number of prisoners.

Information from: Idaho Statesman, http://www.idahostatesman.com

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