Watertown -- The issue of jail overcrowding will be the focus of a meeting later today, with Jefferson County Sheriff John Burns among those slated to take part.
Burns has been asking the county for years to expand the current jail as the county has been forced to ship inmates elsewhere due to lack of space. He isn't the only sheriff facing that problem. Sheriff's in St. Lawrence and Oswego Counties are also slated to take part in the meeting, which also includes Senator Patty Ritchie. Ritchie has recently pushed the state to allow inmates to be taken to neighboring prisons, including the Watertown Correctional Facility, which has empty beds.
Taxpayers are said to be shelling out an additional $2 million a year to send inmates to outside facilities.
