PHOENIX - Visitation hours at all Maricopa County jails have been altered in a bid to hold down costs and offset millions of dollars in overspending, officials said.
Family and friends now are only allowed to visit inmates between 6:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Until last week, visitation hours used to extend until about 7 p.m.
The move comes as the county Sheriff's Office is attempting to rein in spending after exceeding its overtime budget by more than $1 million only four months into the fiscal year.
The agency last week shut down booking operations at three suburban satellite facilities, effectively saving the overtime costs for 24 deputies, Sheriff Joe Arpaio said Wednesday.
Arpaio said he also has reduced his personal security team to one deputy and cut a position in his public-information office. The affected deputies will be reassigned.
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To further trim costs, the sheriff is considering cutting do-good programs inside the jails and trimming inmate meal expenses.
Overtime-spending patterns have exceeded budgeted costs in investigations, patrol and enforcement support and specialized response activities, as well as in inmate transportation and adult-detention management, according to Arpaio.
He said he can reassign 18 detention officers and save more than $900,000 annually by changing visitation hours.
Cathy Paul, who has a friend in Tent City, said she used to visit three times a week but hasn't been able to see him for a week because of the new hours.
Paul said visits keep inmates sane, and the new policy unfairly cuts them off from family and friends who rely on the time to stay in touch and to keep children connected to an incarcerated parent.
Arpaio said he countered the shorter daily visitation hours by expanding the number of days inmates can have visitors — from three a week to six. Jail visitation on Fridays is restricted to lawyers.
