Colbert County’s Jail Ages Ungracefully
Colbert County AL needs a new jail, but the county commission must address a major issue – how to pay for it. Reported by the Florence Times Daily.
The Colbert County Jail was built in 1962 and, according to contractors that specialize in jail construction, it’s nearing the end of its life expectancy. “That jail thing has been lying there dormant for a number of years,” Commissioner Roger Creekmore said. “We realize there’s some issues with the existing jail. We want to go ahead and be proactive now about addressing those issues.” Creekmore wants the commission to explore how much a new jail will cost and options for funding it … “We could sit here all day and guess what a new jail is going to cost, how many beds do we need, how are we going to finance it, where are we going to locate it,” he said. “We need someone in here with experience in a consulting capacity to help answer those questions.”
Colbert County Sheriff Ronnie May said many of the jail’s problems are because of its age. The jail was designed to hold 62 inmates, but as of May 5, it contained 88 prisoners. May said as many as 125 inmates have been in the jail at one time. He said the way the jail was built makes it difficult for jailers to monitor prisoners. There is a video surveillance system, but some of the cameras are inoperable and the system does not have a recording function. “Ideally, we want cameras that monitor physical activity and record it,” May said. The last jail renovation project was in 1986 when the interior was painted and new flooring installed. Broken welds on metal bed frames were repaired …
“There are sinks that don’t work and toilets that don’t flush,” Security officer Heath Halcomb said during a tour of the facility. “There are recurring problems with the plumbing.” Assistant Chief Deputy Mike Aday said freezers and refrigerators are in two or three separate locations in the building and food items often have to be brought from an upstairs storage room downstairs to the kitchen … The jail lacks a place for inmates to exercise outside. During Sunday visitation, friends or family stand outside the cells to speak to inmates through an opening in the cell’s metal doors …
The most popular idea has been a consolidated jail that would house county inmates as well as inmates from Muscle Shoals, Sheffield, Tuscumbia, Cherokee, Leighton and Littleville. “The capacity would be increased to hold around 250-275 inmates,” the sheriff said. He said the drug task force and emergency management agency expressed interest in having offices in such a facility. The sheriff’s office would also be located there, and the best scenario would include a courtroom.
The full article is much longer, with more background and information.
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