Jail Improvement Project (Sheriff)

Why does the County need to improve the jail?

The current jail was built in 1983 and has been expanded several times to keep up with population growth and the changing complexity of our criminal justice system. The present facility is deteriorating and overcrowded. Conditions of confinement do not meet modern standards and a major remodel is not possible when the jail is occupied.

The purpose of this project is to meet the growing needs of the community by creating an innovative jail facility to allow the delivery of state of the art professional services.

What will be built as part of the jail improvement project?

The project will replace outdated support areas in the jail with modern facilities. These new and improved areas will better accommodate medical, mental health and addiction treatment needs, and include a new kitchen, laundry and other essentials for safe jail operations. One new housing unit will be built, to accommodate up to 150 beds, to reduce the density of offenders in the most outdated sections of the old facility and provide additional capacity to accommodate inmates with medical and mental health issues.