Butler County may be placing its juvenile inmates in the Allegheny County Jail to save money.

The Butler County commissioners are set to vote today on an agreement for Allegheny County to house Butler juveniles for a daily rate of $100 per youth.

The county has no juvenile inmates as of Tuesday.

County Commissioner Leslie Osche, board chairman, said in an interview the agreement would be approved.

“I think it's a safe and more economic answer,” Osche said.

Butler Warden Joe DeMore said the Allegheny County Jail already is equipped for juvenile inmates.

“Allegheny has a juvenile housing pod already in place,” DeMore said.

He explained the expense to keep a pod devoted solely to juveniles open is too high.

“They have to have direct supervision,” DeMore said.

He estimated the cost to house juveniles in the Butler prison ranges between $120 to $600 a day due to additional staffing needed to operate a pod.

Under federal law, juveniles must be kept in separate pods from adult prisoners.

The Butler County Prison Board previously approved the agreement.

Sheriff Mike Slupe, prison board chairman, agreed the move will save money.

“This makes sense to enter into an agreement with a county that happens to be contiguous with Butler County,” Slupe said.

The Butler County Prison in April opened its only closed inmate pod to house two juvenile offenders.

Both 17-year-olds were sentenced to serve a minimum of 30 days. The pod was closed once the youths were released.

The prison was built to hold nine inmate pods. Seven are used for adult offenders. The eighth is used for an internal treatment center.

County Controller Ben Holland agreed housing juveniles in Allegheny County was preferable to keep opening a closed pod here.

“The cost becomes extremely variable,” Holland said.