DECATUR - Sheriff Jerry Dawson says a major expansion of the Macon County Jail may be needed even after construction of a new women's cell block is completed.
The sheriff told members of the Macon County Board Justice Committee on Thursday that the jail hit a new one-day population record earlier this week at 318 inmates, and 312 inmates remain in custody at the facility.
The jail's listed capacity is 204 inmates. Dawson said the jail has consistently housed at least 280 inmates for several months, and recently, the jail population has stayed above 300.
"I hate to paint the gloom and doom picture, but I don't know what else to do," Dawson said.
The issue of jail overcrowding has been a longstanding problem for the county. In July 2005, renovations began to convert the former Bivens-Whitten Juvenile Detention Center into a women's cell block that could house up to 48 prisoners.
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The renovation was part of a $3.1 million project to upgrade the jail that was funded through bonds sold by the Decatur Public Building Commission. The entire project is scheduled for completion late this year.
"We've opened up rec areas to accommodate this abundance of people, and even with this (expansion) open, we're still going to be overpopulated by about 70 people," Dawson said.
He said he hasn't hired any new correctional officers to handle the swelling jail population, but he has had to mandate overtime for the employees, who are charged with guarding prisoners and accompanying them to court.
He said the Macon County Justice Council, an advisory group started by Dawson and consisting of government, school and community leaders, has tried to analyze ways to address the jail population without expansion.
But the group's analysis has determined most people in jail are violent offenders or otherwise ineligible for work-release programs or home detention.
"It seemed that almost everyone we have in jail needed to be there," said justice committee Chairman John Snyder, D-Decatur, who also serves on the council.
Dawson said the county needs to act soon, because the jail could be held liable if any employees or inmates are hurt because of jail overcrowding.
He recommended the board's building subcommittee begin studying ways to address the overcrowding issue immediately. Snyder said he would recommend such a study to building subcommittee Chairman Dave Drobisch, R-Decatur.
Mary Tallon can be reached at mtallon@herald-review.com or 421-7984.
