Campbell County will break ground on new jail wing

ALEXANDRIA – Campbell County expects to break ground in August on a new jail wing that will have 108 more beds and 32 new isolation cells.

Fiscal Court unanimously voted to pick Milford, Ohio-based Perkins-Carmak Construction to build the jail addition – which will have space for a drug treatment program – at a cost of $6.7 million. Perkins-Carmack was the lowest of five competitive construction bids.

“This is a lot more expensive than we would have thought at the time and you can lay that at the foot of the heroin epidemic,” Judge-executive Steve Pendery said.

A mixture of more inmates jailed on drug charges, including dealers and people going through detox, combined with other criminals has led to a need for more isolation cells, Pendery said.

Having five isolation cells used to work fine, he said.

“We have a pretty significant decline in the behavior and background of the people at the jail we have to look after,” Pendery said.

Commissioner Brian Painter said Fiscal Court members have been talking about whether to expand the jail again for at least two years. Protecting deputy jailers working with inmates is another reason why the county will add to the jail, Painter said.

“This is the most we’ve spent since I’ve been on Fiscal Court on one capital expenditure,” Painter said.

Jailer Jim Daley said isolation cells will help with a growing number of “problematic inmates” and the additional beds will allow for creation of a drug treatment program to handle more inmates.

“The sheer numbers that we have are directly related to heroin, but the troublemakers are not so much a result of heroin,” Daley said.

At least 30 of the new 108 beds will be used for a drug treatment program still being designed, he said.

Of the 490 inmates in the jail the week ending July 31, 282 were either charged with heroin possession or trafficking or admitted to using heroin, Daley said.

The jail also needs the space, he said. Average daily inmate counts range from 450 to 480. Suggested capacity of the jail is 425, Daley said.

“I don’t think we are overcrowded, but we are certainly over our suggested capacity,” he said.