STORY
COVER
new facilities. Lawrence, Jackson and Crawford counties are three of the entities in the process of building jails to replace outdated structures. Te Garland County facility at Hot Springs, which opened
in Spring 2015, was a $42 million project, according to Gar- land County Judge Rick Davis, with $35.5 million devoted to actual construction. It was finished in May and first ac- cepted prisoners June 15. “Te project (construction) was financed on a temporary
voter-approved 5/8-cent sales tax with a sunset to pay off in less than five years,” Davis said in an e-mail response to a reporter’s questions. “A permanent 3/8-cent sales tax was approved by the voters for operations and maintenance of the facility.” Garland County Sheriff Mike McCormick said actual
Garland County and Greene County are among those with
of the metal building, which allows for most all maintenance issues to be serviced.”
revenues on the 3/8-cent operations and maintenance tax have ranged from $6.3 million to $6.9 million in the past two years. “Te core of the building is approximately 160,000 square feet, located on 55 acres,” Judge Davis said. “Te core build- ing was structured for approximately 800 future inmates. We are currently able to house approximately 482 inmates, with the capacity to expand in the future by adding additional units/pods.”
Te old jail, built in 1986, held 88 inmates. Exterior walls are precast concrete panels, with interior walls made of concrete blocks filled with concrete/steel. The administrative wing is built from conventional brick and mortar. “All inmate programs, meals and services, including exercise,
are confined to the respective housing units,” Davis said. “A high-security courtroom, along with a maintenance shop for grounds keeping and other needs, and a firing range complete the facilities.” Sheriff McCormick said his office has high hopes that the
a new intake storage area, kitchen, vehicle sally port and two recreation areas with large openings to the exterior of the building that prevent the inmates from leaving the secured facility. McMillon said the old jail facility was remodeled to house “309” and work-release inmates, the county morgue and county coroner, and sheriff’s department offices. In Jackson County, voters approved an $8.9 million bond issue in February 2013 for a 104-bed jail, with a 3/8-cent tax set to pay off the bond and another 3/8-cent tax to pay for operation and maintenance of the new facility. Te new jail is 30,612 gross square feet, County Judge Jeff
Te facility houses central, north and south control areas,
Phillips said. “We are 65 percent completed on construction,” he said. “Te completion date is July 31, 2016, and occupancy to fol- low soon after that. “Our current jail was built in 1979 and only houses 26 inmates and is not up to Arkansas state standards. Te need for more space to house inmates has become a serious issue for Jackson County. “We have had an overcrowding issue and [have been] on
probation for over 10 years. In 2011, we were inspected and [the jail standards review committee] advised us that we had to come up with a plan for expansion and/or to build a new jail or we would be closed. “With the inability to house inmates in the Jackson Coun-
new facility is changing the attitude of offenders in the county. “Because of perpetual overcrowding at the old facility,” Mc- Cormick said. “Te jail became a ‘violent felon facility.’ Persons charged with misdemeanors or non-violent felonies were routinely released from the jail after booking, due to a lack of space. Very few inmates were sentenced to jail time upon con- viction, with nearly all of them being released to ‘weekender’ or other diversionary programs for which there was little or no oversight or consequences for failing to comply with the rules of the programs. “All of this has changed in the new facility. There are
dozens of inmates who are serving jail sentences for vari- ous offenses. There are now consequences for failing to abide by court orders or the rules of other alternative sentencing programs.” Te $16.5 million Greene County Detention Center just outside Paragould is completed and housing inmates. Greene County voters approved a ¾-cent sales tax — three- eighths of a cent for construction that would sunset in 10 years, and three-eighths of a cent for operations and maintenance. Te 2016 budget for the Greene County jail is $3.02 million. “We constructed a simple metal building that would house
416 new beds,” McMillon said. “It provides over 76,000 square feet of space, and there is an additional 9,600 square feet of storage space, which also serves as a service shop for the jail and sheriff’s departments. Te facility houses pre-fabricated steel cells that are organized into pie-shaped holding areas, two cells tall, housing anywhere from 12 to 36 inmates. Tere is a space between the cells and the exterior
ty Jail, which averages approximately 54 [daily population], the inmates were being transported and housed out-of-coun- ty. Tat cost was in excess of $80,000 in 2015, which created an additional burden on our already-strained budget. Tis condition continues to be a problem for the county. We also place inmates on electronic monitoring, in place of incarcera- tion, which also, sometimes creates budgetary issues.” In January 2012, Phillips said, he formed and led a jail expansion committee of three quorum court members, a mu- nicipal judge, the sheriff, a businessman and one alderman each from Newport, Tuckerman and Swifton, along with the mayor from Diaz.
said, “and we decided that a new jail would be the best for the county. We needed a sales tax passed to fund the new jail, so we had public meetings in all areas of the county. Te purpose was to inform the public on what was needed and why. We [asked] for two 3/8-cent sales tax increases and on Feb. 12, 2013, the public voted to pass both.” Both taxes passed with 60 percent approval. “Te land [where] the current jail is housed was not large enough,” Phillips said, “so I traded our old jail and about two acres for four acres at the air base. Te Newport-Jackson County Industrial Development Bond Board owned that property.” Crawford County Judge John Hall said the $20 million proj- ect in his county will result in a 30,000-square-foot new jail that will house 307 inmates, a 34,000-square-foot sheriff’s office, a circuit court room, a hardened 911 center and other offices. Voters in the county passed a 1/2-cent sales tax for con-
“Te committee looked at several different options,” he
struction, which should net $3 million annually and pay off the bond in 10 years or less. Tey also passed a 1/4-cent sales tax for operation and maintenance of the new facility. Tat is expected to produce $1.5 million annually. Construction on the new jail near Van Buren is 50 percent
See “Jails” on Page 28 >>>
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