Maricopa County Sheriff Paul Penzone is warning that private prisons pose a financial threat to county jails, by leaving the jails with inmates who cost the most money to house.
Penzone's comments on this weekend's "Sunday Square Off" come as the City of Mesa weighs whether to become the first city in the state to hire a private prison operator.
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Mesa would send misdemeanor offenders to a private prison, while more serious offenders would still go to Penzone's jails.
Penzone said he's working with Mesa on a deal to reduce jail costs. He warned that the county would be a net loser by being stuck with higher-cost inmates.
Private prisons are "going to be taking those that are least expensive to themselves - they don't have medical expenses or mental illness, they're not highly violent," Penzone said.
"The ones that cost the most to house are still going to be our burden, where they reap the benefit of taking those that are least expensive."
Two-thirds of the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office budget is dedicated to jail operations
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