10/23/09

Voters in Jerome County will need to cast a two thirds supermajority on November 3rd, if they want to build a new jail there.

The Jerome County Jail was built roughly 30 years ago, in many cases, from used parts. A Jerome County Sheriff's Deputy says the jail only partially passed an inspection last week.

The jail's operation and sanitation were fine, but the facility itself didn't pass.

According to Lt. Robert Hass, Jerome Co. Sheriffs Office, “All of our beds are full, we have ten people out of county, which is pretty good for us, because we just released 17 inmates to Border Patrol today. Prior to today we would have had close to 65 inmates, and we have 34 beds.”

Hass says the bars in some of the current jail cells are a liability when it comes to providing an opportunity for potential hangings. He says this narrow doorway doesn't provide the access needed by the Americans with Disability Act.

Hass says, “The jail itself doesn't meet the life safety standards set by the National Fire Association, which in particular, we cannot get a stretcher or backboard into the jail cells if there's a deputy or inmate injured.”

He says a new jail would relieve long time overcrowding issues, as well as providing more office space for jail employees to get their jobs done. The jail's medical treatment area shares a tiny room in the basement, across the room from some storage shelves.