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Public Safety

Public safety is at higher risk each time inmates are transferred to other counties for housing. Transferring inmates to other counties takes deputies off of the road - decreasing focus on citizen safety. Another area of concern is that professional visitors are brought into the secure perimeter of the jail. These actions leave the public, inmates, and staff at risk of injury and increase the risk of inmate escapes.

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Inmate and Staff Safety

Crowded cells, resulting from classification requirements, and the loss of privacy increase the odds that inmates will lash out, threatening the staff keeping watch and inmates around them. 

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Other Safety Risks

  • There is no pre-booking area for screening new arrestees

  • There is not proper room for a body scanner

  • Only option to 2nd floor from sallyport is by elevator which compromises safety of the staff

  • Sallyport has limited room to maneuver new arrivals and disruptive inmates

  • Jail elevator has recurring issues

  • Equipment in booking area is accessible to inmates and creates a security issue

  • There is not a dedicated booking area. It's unsafe as inmate is not separated from the jailer and other occupants

  • The property room and strip search area is not near booking. It also doesn't meet PREA (prison rape elimination act) requirements related to viewing of inmates -  no privacy

  • The linear layout of the jail provides a security issue for staff/inmates due to limited visibility and poor sightlines. Learn more about podular vs. linear design​​

  • Staff often has to go into cell to do routine inmate safety checks

  • Inmates and the public have a line of sight into master control room

  • Bars in the cells create a security problem - potential suicide

  • Poor visibility creates a contraband problem

  • Tight hallways present challenges with moving disruptive inmates

  • There is no secure vestibule into the control center

  • There is no staff toilet in control center so staff needs to leave the center

  • Laundry room chemicals are not secure (due to lack of storage) allowing inmates access to cleaning supplies

  • Staff and occupants are at increased risk to illness/communicable disease due to improper ventilation

  • There are no negative pressure cells to isolate inmates to prevent the spread of an illness from cell to cell

  • All medical functions are in one room and accessible to inmates

  • Warped secure doors and/or outdated cell locks impact response time to an emergency

  • Cell toilets lack proper security measures

  • Limited floor drains throughout building

  • There are no secure perimeters that provide easy access to electrical, mechanical, and plumbing systems. This often requires contractors to enter cells when systems require maintenance and/or inmates need to leave the cell

  • Inadequate housing for high risk inmates

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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 recovery services to help inmates re-enter society and minimize their chances of reverting to crime.

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SAFETY RISK

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