Fresno Passes on State Funds for Jails

4/19/2008 Fresno, CA It's been less than two years since the county released inmates early because the jails didn't have enough beds. And the state has more than a billion dollars available for counties to add on to their jails.

Madera, Merced, and Kings Counties all applied for some of the money.

Fresno County officials say the state money can't go towards building new jails and it could mean the county would have to house state prisoners. They're still working on a plan to build new jails.

The four current jails are at 77% of capacity right now after getting higher than 90%.