In 1990 voters twice rejected tax requests to build a minimum-security facility to augment the existing jail. In 1992 the county started a program that provided early release of inmates after overcrowding became critical. The jail now houses about twice the 20 inmates it was originally designed to hold and only about 63 percent of sentences are fully served, said Sheriff Stan Robson. Criminals who do get lodged have to wait an average of 33 days to serve their sentences. It's kind of a joke.
People get sentences and they have to make an appointment to come back.
Not only is the current jail unable to handle the county's inmate load, but it's also falling apart, Robson said. The county has torn up concrete floors to fix inaccessible plumbing problems and has taken apart walls to fix electrical faults, he explained. The design of the jail includes provisions for efficient, cost-effective expansion, Robson said. The first expansion will be adding a second bunk to cells in one of the pods, he explained. Some cells will contain double bunks right from the start, with the rest being doubled over the next 10 to 15 years.