# Meredith presents county jail reform proposal to interim committee **Published:** 2026-10-06T11:59:47Z **Source:** Kentucky House Majority Caucus (press release, emailed to editor@lexingtonky.news) **AI-generated:** yes (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) **Canonical:** https://feeds.lexingtonky.news/article/meredith-presents-county-jail-reform-proposal-to-interim-committee FRANKFORT, Ky. — Representative Michael Meredith announced he presented a comprehensive county jail reform proposal to the Interim Joint Committee on Judiciary, calling for a restructured state-local partnership to address mounting financial pressures on county governments. Meredith's proposal, which he sponsored as House Bill 557 during the 2026 regular session, gained more than 50 co-sponsors but did not receive a committee hearing during the budget session. Meredith said in a statement that bringing the proposal before the interim committee provides lawmakers an opportunity to discuss challenges facing county jails before the 2027 regular session. "We are at a crisis point amongst the county governments related to county jails," Meredith told the committee, adding that officials remain "open to listening to any ideas." The financial strain on counties has intensified significantly. According to the [Kentucky Association of Counties](https://kaco.org/county-information/county-jails/), local governments transferred nearly $170 million from their general funds to support county jails in fiscal year 2025, representing a 76% increase over six years. The average cost to operate a county jail is approximately $63.44 per inmate per day, while counties receive only $35.34 per day for housing state inmates—a structural imbalance Meredith said simple increases in per diem payments cannot fix. HB 557 takes a broader approach, Meredith said in a statement. The legislation would encourage counties to establish or participate in regional jail systems, clarify how counties are reimbursed for felony defendants awaiting trial, and establish a new model for housing state inmates in county facilities. Meredith emphasized that regional cooperation and greater state participation could help counties operate more efficiently while maintaining standards for those in custody. "If there are opportunities to share resources, reduce duplication and operate more efficiently, we should be willing to look at them," Meredith said. "At the same time, we have to make sure public safety remains at the center of every decision we make." During the committee discussion, lawmakers examined issues including jail medical costs, regional jail operations, pretrial detention, state responsibility for inmates and the role of elected jailers. Meredith stressed that the legislation is a starting point and encouraged members and local officials to continue offering ideas. "We are not coming into this conversation believing we have every answer," he said. ## Sources - [Kentucky Association of Counties - County Jail Resources](https://kaco.org/county-information/county-jails/) - [House Bill 557 - Kentucky General Assembly](https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/record/26rs/hb557.html) - [Kentucky Association of Counties - HB 557 seeks to rebalance state-county responsibility for jails](https://kaco.org/articles/hb-557-seeks-to-rebalance-state-county-responsibility-for-jails/) --- This article was generated by AI (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) from a press release emailed to editor@lexingtonky.news by Kentucky House Majority Caucus, enriched with 2 web searches.