Those opposed to the jail renovation accused supervisors of having their minds made up to approve the plans before Thursday’s meeting.

“Y’all are actually hypocrites if you decide to build a new jail,” said Mahnker Dahnweih, a member of Freedom Inc. “You’re spending this money on locking black folks up.”

But Linda Hoskins, who said she volunteers to help inmates in the jail and was in favor of the renovation plan, said the county can support both community services to reduce incarceration and an update to the jail. She said the new plan is about caring for the people in the jail.

Hoskins said the county needs a facility that is "not a dungeon."

But Cassandra Steiner, of Madison, was skeptical that the county would actually commit to reinvesting in communities and diverting people from jail.

"We know that when jails are built, cops find a way to fill those jails," Steiner said.

The meeting was interrupted several times by outbursts from local anti-incarceration activists opposed to the project, with many arguing that the funds should be put toward services to help keep people out of jail.