- A proposed jail millage will be appearing on the ballots in 2024, and will equate to 19-cents per day to the average tax payer.
- This tax will pay for a new jail for the county, solving issues of overcrowding, safety, and security both facilities have seen for some time.
- Captain Anthony Stewart, Jail Administrator and Division Commander of Corrections, and Lieutenant Michael Coburn, Assistant Jail Administrator, show the conditions of the Chanter Road facility.
"We currently have over 100 open beds that we just can't fill," says Lieutenant Colburn. However, it's not the quantity of beds that's the issue at the Jackson County Jail. It's the issue of safety overall.
"These cells don't have physical barriers. They don't have bars. They don't have doors. There's really no way to keep individuals isolated. It's really important because when people come off the street, sometimes they're under the influence of narcotics. Sometimes they're under influence of alcohol. Sometimes they're on psychotropic medications. Sometimes they're suicidal. These are individuals that we need to isolate," explains Captain Stewart. He says that the Chanter Road facility's population should have 25 isolation cells. They have one. Stewart also says the current cells they have cannot accommodate medium and max level inmates to deal with the overcrowding at the Wesley Street facility.
"Essentially, what's happening is the 180 beds we have downtown are at capacity, and we have beds out there that aren't being utilized because we can't put violent, mentally compromised individuals that could be susceptible the being assaulted at this location, because there's no physical barrier," says Stewart.
According to officials, a new jail will have two-person cells to keep inmates properly classified and secure, but it does have a cost that voters will weigh in proposed jail millage in 2024. This tax will equate to 19 cents per day for the average tax payer, to renovate and construct a new jail for Jackson County. Ultimately, Stewart says a new jail will have an impact on public safety.
"It impacts the people that we can take in. Obviously, all felonies...serious misdemeanors still get arrested, but it does impact our ability to keep these people housed. It also impacts our ability to take in individuals that may need a cooldown period, and make sure everyone that needs to be arrested can get arrested."
As the election gets closer, we will continue to share more about the issues the sheriff's department is facing with their current facilities.
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