Overcrowded Clarke County jail needs cash

Overcrowding problems at the Clarke County jail have forced officials to look for more money to handle the inmate load. Sheriff Ira Edwards is asking the Athens-Clarke Commission for 1.4 million dollars to keep inmates in south Georgia’s Irwin County through July. Officials would have to take a bite out of the 8-million dollar contingency fund for the cash. Already, most of the sheriff's budget for the year has already been used to house-out inmates that can’t fit into Clarke County’s facility. Commissioners are considering many options, including whether it might be better to expand the current facility or build a new one.