(1) The sheriff shall be the jailer of his county and, in the performance of his duties as jailer, he shall employ a jailer or jailers to have charge of the prisoners in the jail. However, in any county in which there is a jointly owned jail, the jailer, pursuant to Section 47-1-49, shall be the person appointed by the governing authorities of the municipality insofar as municipal prisoners are concerned. The sheriff shall keep in the jail thereof separate rooms by gender, and shall not permit any communication between a male and a female prisoner, unless they be married.
(2) The board of supervisors of the county shall pay the tuition, living and travel expenses incurred by a person in attending and participating in the basic and continuing education courses for county jail officers.