Sheriff Jim Hammond said Wednesday he plans to gradually reduce the number of prisoners at the out-moded County Jail floor by floor as an expansion gets underway at the workhouse at Silverdale. He said he would like to see the jail on Walnut Street close within five years.
County officials said it was decided to opt for the workhouse expansion rather than build a new jail costing between $90 million and $130 million.
An idea for a new smaller jail by the Courts Building on Cherry Street was also discarded, it was stated.
Officials said the jail holds about 500 inmates typically and the workhouse 1,000. The plan is to add space for some 300 more inmates at the workhouse, while focusing on programs that will keep people out of jail, including the homeless and persons with mental issues.
Sheriff Hammond said he would like to see General Sessions Court eventually move to Silverdale so that prisoners do not have to continually be transported from Silverdale to downtown. He said Criminal Court has far fewer inmates that need to be transported so it could stay put at the Courts Building.
County Mayor Jim Coppinger is relinquishing oversight of the jail to the sheriff. He said in very few locales is the county mayor over the jail. He said the eight correctional employees under the mayor will move to the sheriff's oversight and budget. He said they will stay on at the same rate of pay.
The county is entering a new four-year agreement with Core Civic (formerly CCA). The private firm has operated the workhouse for 32 years.
The per diem rate was raised from $40.08 to $42.25. County Mayor Coppinger said the main reason was that Core Civic had to raise employee pay by $2 per hour in order to keep correctional officers.
Sheriff Hammond said Hamilton County has about 400 pre-trial detainees in custody, while the number if around 150 in Shelby County and Davidson County. He said ways need to be found to cut that number here.
All agree that the current jail, which opened in 1976, "has reached the end of its useful life," a consultant said.