Now turning back to Kentucky, News County officials told state lawmakers this week that running local jails is getting more and more expensive.

Our June Lefler has more on that and tonight's legislative update.

Local governments are obligated to house people accused of a crime, but it's costly, says a local official whose jail serves several counties.

I mean, it's certainly not a bash between the county jailers and the county judge.

We're we're all in it together.

We understand it.

And and but it's bleeding us dry.

We there's so many other things we could do with the money that we're spending on this.

Jails, house, feed and provide medical care for their inmates.

All of those services costs more than they used to.

Cover the things that we pay more on.

Of course, medical expenses.

Medical expenses are a big thing.

We're being more mandated, more to provide different things, you know.

Oh, the treatments here with the opioid use disorder treatments.

Of course, we have already been doing it, but it is going up.

So in this last budget, we had to put in for another rate up to $260,000 more a year just to cover Suboxone and different treatments.

The state pays a daily rate for counties to house inmates, but local governments have to chip in, too.

I think it's a priority to our community to say that we want a safe community.

It has a lot to do with our quality of life.

But that also takes away from everyone else in county government.

You know, you're never going to have a bigger library if if you're you're paying, you know, close to 40% of your expenses to house inmates.

A state lawmaker says an efficient judicial system could curb costs.

Where the county came to bear, the biggest part of the burden is the fact that county inmates sit there waiting to be sentenced and then they become state inmates.

And I think we're going to have to find a way to to get those inmates changed quicker and through the system quicker.

Thousand plus days to sit on the county dime is unreasonable.

A leading voice for county prosecutors says she is keeping costs in mind with every case.

I don't want plea agreements completely driven by the cost of incarceration.

But as a responsible county government official, that has to go into the calculus as we enhance penalties.

And you will get no argument for me that that that is, you know, often the right thing to do.

You have to understand that prosecutors are accountable.

Every time you make something a felony or you enhance the penalty.

Our public, who will access wants to know, you know, why are you not enforcing that?

Earlier this year, Hardin County prosecutor Jenny Oldham testified in favor of the Save for Kentucky Act.

It increases penalties and sentences for violent offenders.

Progressive and fiscally conservative groups opposed the legislation, saying it would incarcerate more people for longer and end up draining more public dollars for Kentucky addiction.

I'm June Lefler.

Thank you.

June Hardin County attorney Jenny Oldham says the expense of an inmate's medicine can prompt an early release.