WI Regional Jail Plan Fizzles
Winnebago and Calumet counties in Wisconsin will have to explore new options for housing inmates after the Outagamie County Board refused to help fund a study to explore the feasibility of a regional jail. Report from the Northwestern.
While the regional jail study has been put on hold, Winnebago County Sheriff Michael Brooks said the counties still will need to figure out how to address growing jail populations at facilities that are nearing capacity. “We still have overcrowding issues and we’re going to need to address those problems,” Brooks said. “It’s just finding a way to do it that is the least expensive way, but meets the need.”
The population at the Winnebago County Jail was 333 inmates on May 19, slightly less than its capacity of 355, Brooks said. The Calumet County Jail is full and the Outagamie County Jail is nearing capacity. As a result, the three counties decided to explore the idea of a joint facility that would serve all three counties. The Outagamie County Board refused earlier this month to allocate money to help fund the study. Joining the $147,635 study, which the other two counties have authorized …
Winnebago County Executive Mark Harris said he was surprised that Outagamie County failed to approve the funds for the study. While the regional jail study has been put on hold, Harris said the counties working together may still be advantageous. “I still think there might be some mutual advantages in cooperation between Outagamie and Winnebago counties because of their close proximity,” Harris said. Officials from the three counties met last week to begin discussing other housing options, Brooks said. They will gather additional information and will discuss the issue again in the future. Brooks said he believes the “regional concept is not dead” and that counties may have to work together in other ways.
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