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FROM THE SCOTT COUNTY JAIL INSIDE. THE JAIL LOOKS COMPLETELY DIFFERENT THAN IT DID THIS TIME LAST YEAR, BUT AS WE LEARNED TODAY IT TOOK MORE THAN JUST A FRESH COAT OF PAINT TO GIVE THIS JAIL A PASSING GRADE. WITH A LIST OF MORE THAN 200 ITEMS TO CHECK OFF STATE DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS INSPECTOR KENNY WHIT KER SPEND FRIDAY MORNING INSIDE THE SCOTT COUNTY JAIL. WELL AGAIN, I’M JUST TRYING TO TAKE A DIFFERENT OPTIONS AND THINGS LIKE THAT. YOU MIGHT BE A LOOK AT CHECKING OUT EVERYTHING FROM THE DORMS TO THE KITCHEN. GOOD MORNING. HOW YOU DOING TODAY? BIG ON HIS LIST SANITATION ISSUES AND OVERCROWDING BOTH OF AREAS OF CONCERN HERE IN THE PAST SHERIFF JERRY GOOD WHO TOOK OFFICE LAST YEAR SAYS THE JAIL HADN’T BEEN IN COMPLIANCE WITH STATE GUIDELINES FOR DECADES AND IF THAT TREND CONTINUED THE JAIL COULD HAVE HAD TO PAY TO SEND INMATES TO OTHER COUNTY FACILITIES USING INMATE LABOR, AND HE ESTIMATES SAVING TAXPAYERS MILLIONS. HE BROUGHT THE OLDER PART OF THE JAIL UP TO CODE THIS AREA HAS BEEN IMPROVED AND UPDATED AND AFTER ABOUT TWO HOURS AND FOR THE FIRST TIME EVE WICKER GAVE THE JAIL A PASSING GRADE. LIKE THANK YOU AND YOUR STAFF FOR YOUR EFFORTS. WHAT’S TAKING PLACE HERE? AND AGAIN? I THINK IT’S SOMETHING TO BE VERY PROUD OF SOMETHING GOOD AND SAYS WASN’T EASY, BUT HAD TO BE DONE IN ORDER TO MAKE SURE THIS JAIL DIDN’T END UP COSTING TAXPAYERS A LOT OF MONEY. WE WOULD HAVE HAD A MAJOR MAJOR MASS AND WE’RE PROUD TO SAY THAT WE’VE PASSED WERE COMPLIANT FOR THE FIRST TIME IN NUMEROUS YEARS, AND WE’RE EXTREMELY PROUD OF IT AND I THINK SCOTT COUNTY CAN BE PROUD OF IT

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With a list of more than 200 items to check off, State Department of Corrections Inspector Kenny Whipker spent Friday morning inside the Scott County Jail, checking out everything from the dorms to the kitchen.Big on his list: sanitation issues and overcrowding. Both have been areas of concern in the past. Sheriff Jerry Goodin, who took office last year, said the jail had not been in compliance with state guidelines for decades. If that trend continued, he said the jail could have had to pay to send inmates to other county facilities. Using inmate labor, and, Goodin estimates, saving taxpayers millions, he brought the older part of the jail up to code."It is drastically different. There are lots of improvements in here. Again, the old part of the jail was the concern. They had a brand-new facility they've been in now for about two years, and because of the prior condition of this part of the jail, the whole facility did not meet the standards," Whipker explained.But after about two hours, and for the first time ever, Whipker gave the jail a passing grade."I'd like to thank you and your staff for your efforts. What's taken place here is something to be proud of," he told Goodin.Goodin said it was not easy, but had to be done, in order to make sure the jail did not end up costing taxpayers a lot of money."We would have had a major mess. We're proud that we've passed. We're compliant for the first time in numerous years, and we're extremely proud of it, and I think Scott County can be proud of it, too," Goodin said.Goodin said because the jail is now compliant with state regulations, the facility's insurance costs will go down.