The DeKalb County Jail Committee got some sticker shock at its last meeting last Thursday, January 25, after a jail consultant and architects at the meeting gave out some preliminary numbers as to the suggested size and cost of a proposed new jail.

Jim Hart, Jail Consultant and Field Manager of the County Technical Assistance Service (CTAS), gave a presentation at the meeting on the county’s jail assessment study, which recommends up to 272 beds for future jail growth.

“An accepted figure is that your jail is crowded when your average daily population exceeds 85 percent of capacity. If you have a 100-bed jail and it routinely exceeds 85 inmates, you are overcrowded and that has an impact on your ability to classify and separate offenders by their risk and needs and to address when you have surges in the inmate population due to weekend offenders, major roundups, or a backlog in court. You have been trending just above your rating capacity for males and females,” said Hart.

“Twenty years ago, a lot of dormitory space in jails were built because we had a lot of low-risk misdemeanor offenders. They could be together easier in open settings. Those populations are gone for the most part. We have a high number of pre-trial felons in custody and a high risk of more violent offenders, as well as individuals with mental illnesses and substance use disorders. We see a whole different dynamic of inmate populations today so open bay dormitory style housing becomes very problematic today,” said Hart.

“An inmate’s needs must also be considered such as their mental health, whether they are elderly, in advanced stages of pregnancy, or other reasons that they can’t be in the general population. We try to house them according to their risks and needs to ensure the safety and security of everyone,” said Hart.

“How I do a calculation to do a projection for about 20 years out is I look at your actual census data and the incarceration rate based on a 10-year period of combining data as to how many people were incarcerated during that time. I also include a peaking factor in which I take the three highest population counts each month over a 10-year period and divide the average daily population into that to get the peaking factor. I also include a 20.1 percent projected surge in inmate population with construction of a new jail as has been the case with other new jails we have seen.”

An architect at the meeting explained some average cost for other jails that have been built in the Middle Tennessee area, saying that most averaged $600 per-square-foot, with an average cost at $225,000 per bed. At the projected 272 beds for a 20-year growth plan, the cost of just the jail portion of a proposed judicial center would come in at $61.2 million, plus soft cost such as furnishings, fixtures and testing. That cost would not include office space, courtrooms, etc.

Looking at preliminary estimates, some commissioners balked at the projected 272 bed estimate. “I think 272 (beds) might seem a little too much,” said Commissioner Greg Matthews. “It seems like an awful lot compared to what it has been for years here, and 250 beds is double what we currently have. There’s a big difference between 250 and 272 including the cost.”

Seeking a compromise on the numbers, and with budget constraints in mind, the committee voted 8-1 to have the county’s architect and contractor draw up estimates for a possible 150, 190 or 225 bed facility.

In the meantime, the committee is still seeking options for a site for the proposed facility, with at least three options presented so far.

Sheriff Patrick Ray was also on hand to update members prisoner numbers, where they are currently being housed, and the cost to the county.

As of Thursday, January 25, Sheriff Ray said that the DeKalb County Jail held a total of 51 men and no women, with seven men and eleven women being housed at other facilities including the Robertson, White, Lincoln, Smith, and Warren County jails.

·         5 DeKalb County male prisoners housed in the Robertson County Jail - $55.40 per day per prisoner

·         2 female prisoners in the White County Jail - $50 per day per prisoner

·         2 female prisoners in the Smith County Jail - $44 per day per prisoner

·         2 female prisoners in the Lincoln County Jail - $0

·         1 male and 4 female prisoners in the Warren County Jail - $41.00 per day per prisoner

·         1 male prisoner in DeBerry - $0

“We have paid out $45,417 (75.69%) of funds budgeted for this expense and have not received bills from some counties yet,” Sheriff Ray said. “We have also started using ankle monitors for some inmates and the cost is around $7 per day. We currently have one female prisoner on an ankle monitor.”