Safety Risk

Public Safety

Public safety is at higher risk each time inmates are taken to court or transferred to other counties. Inmates are moved through general hallways because there are no secure corridors to the courtroom. Transferring inmates takes deputies off of the road decreasing focus on citizen safety. These actions leave the public, inmates, and staff at risk of injury and increase the risk of inmate escapes.

​​

Staff Safety

Design of the current facility requires inmates to walk through same area as dispatcher, jail clerk, and the arresting officer which poses a safety risk to the staff and maintaining a safe environment. The space is very small and officers must bring inmates down a narrow flight of steps to booking which can be challenging especially when dealing with unruly, disabled, or intoxicated inmates. The layout provides restricted view to inmates and outdated/difficult cell locks can impact response time to an emergency. Overcrowding has increased inmate to staff ratio. Staff and occupants are also at increased risk to illness due to improper ventilation of an old facility. 

​

Inmate Safety

Crowded cells and the loss of privacy increase the odds that inmates will lash out, threatening the staff keeping watch and inmates around them. Also due to limited space it is often difficult to segregate violent offenders from the non-violent offenders.

​

Impact

The current facility increases risk for injury, illness, or death of staff, inmates, and the public. Furthermore, the current facility is not properly designed to provide treatment and rehabilitation services to help inmates re-enter society and minimize their chances of reverting to crime.