Clark County will form a blue ribbon commission to look into options to modernize and upgrade the county’s antiquated jail.
Council Chair Marc Boldt said Interim County Manager Jim Rumpeltes is currently assembling the commission’s members as well as the exact scope of its task and should be finished later this month.
Boldt said the commission will likely be comprised of about 20 members that could include mayors, city administrators and community members. He said it may also include elected officials and representatives from county departments such as General Services, the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, judges, as well as the treasurer and auditor’s offices.
“Personally, it is my most important issue,” said Boldt.
Last spring, the county released findings from the DLR Group, a facilities consulting firm, that concluded that the county’s jail had become increasingly cramped and dilapidated. One study from the firm found that the jail would need another 366,564 square feet to meet industry best practices. It currently has 124,318 square feet (excluding its work center). The study also found that the jail will need to have 1,109 to 1,260 beds by 2036, more than its current 793-bed capacity.
The consultants presented three plans to upgrade the jail. The “preferred” master plan would cost between $268 million and $284 million and would bring the jail up to industry square-foot standards while increasing the bed count to 1,028.
Boldt said he expects the commission to conclude its work in the fall. The county could go to voters with a bond proposal in February of next year.
Speaking at a county work session on Wednesday, Clark County Sheriff Chuck Atkins said the jail was designed in the 1970s and built in the 1980s when the county’s population was lower. He also said the jail’s design is based on corrections practices from the 1950s and 1960s.
“We’re approaching 2020 and much has changed,” he said. “It’s no longer acceptable to house inmates in overcrowded jails. It’s no longer acceptable to provide minimal medical facilities.”
He added that it’s no longer acceptable to confine people with serious mental health issues, nor is it acceptable to delay action on this issue.
Corrections Chief Ric Bishop said Clark County’s incarceration rate is lower than the national and state averages. He said the jail has focused on programs intended to reduce recidivism and help people experiencing mental health issues.
“We are more than just a jail,” he said.
