By BRIAN LEAHY
of The Gazette
The Portage County Justice Coalition will give building a work-release facility for Huber law inmates another look.
The Justice Coalition has directed its subcommittee on jail utilization to review a proposal to construct a new work-release facility, as opposed to an entire new law enforcement complex.
"This is being viewed as kind of an interim step," said county Planning Director Charles Kell. "It could take the pressure off on having to build a new center … we won't say it will replace the jail, but it is something we feel may be a way to delay construction of a new jail by a couple of years."
The subcommittee will review current and projected jail population needs, community safety, the impact of design on staff requirements and the relationship of the facility's location to other programs in the criminal justice system, county officials said. It will focus on the work-release jail population and how a new facility may work effectively with the existing jail. Ensuring the safety of the community and cost considerations will be key concerns.
A report could be ready by early to mid-fall for the coalition report, Kell said. Some members of the jail utilization subcommittee are looking for existing work-release facilities that have been built in downtown, residential areas to see what the concerns of residents living in those neighborhoods have been.
Building code issues also need to be reviewed, Kell said. The subcommittee is discussing with the state Department of Corrections the possibility of doing a joint project with a halfway house.
The committee will also look at the proposed work-release facility "in context" so if the county does spend money to build it, it would be "a long-term investment and not something to walk away from."
The county Law Enforcement Center, which houses the current jail, was built in 1990. The jail is often at capacity, requiring the Sheriff's Department to transport inmates to jails in other counties.
A week to two weeks ago, the jail was at capacity and transporting five inmates to other counties, Kell said.
County officials have been looking for several years for ways to alleviate crowding at the jail. Past studies have looked at building a joint work-release facility with Wood County, a new jail on the existing site and a new jail on vacant land. The county also explored the possibility of converting the former Sentry Dormitory next to the Law Enforcement Center into a work-release facility.
The County Board has directed the Justice Coalition to find ways to alleviate jail crowding and make the county's justice system more efficient.
Some officials have said if the county were to build a new jail, it should be part of a law enforcement complex housing the Sheriff's Department, courtrooms and court-related offices, like the district attorney's and clerk of court's offices, because of the efficiencies of being co-located. County courtrooms and court-related offices are now in the County-City Building.
Because building code requirements for a work-release facility are less stringent than those for a more secure jail, a work-release facility costs less to build than a jail.