Las Vegas – Seventy inmates were released from a Las Vegas jail Friday – not because their sentences were up – but because dozens of workers called in sick, Fox 5 reports.
The release of the non-violent offenders comes just a day after city officials confirmed they were downsizing the jail due to the budget crisis in North Las Vegas, putting the correctional officers’ jobs in jeopardy.
Nearly 50 shifts were not covered over a three-day period, forcing the city to pay workers overtime to cover the shifts.
“We can't afford that from a monetary standpoint, and from a people standpoint we just couldn't cover it,” Tim Bedwell, a North Las Vegas police spokesman told The Las Vegas Review-Journal. “The only reasonable solution we have is to close a wing.”
The city has until June 1 to submit its budget and has proposed laying off more than 200 workers, including fire and police positions, in order to save $33 million.
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