New, Pre-Fabricated Jail Cells Have Arrived in Hamilton County

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Hamilton County Building and Grounds Supervisor Steve Wood (left) and Commissioner Christine Altman (right) view the construction progress for the county’s $13 million jail expansion. (Reporter photo by Jeff Jellison)

by

Jeff Jellison

Hamilton County Reporter

This week, construction crews from Hagerman Construction Group began setting new prefabricated steel cells into place as part of the 256-bed, $13 million Hamilton County Jail expansion project.

Hamilton County Jail Commander Josh Carey stated each cell is constructed individually, weighs approximately 17,000 pounds and is stacked on top of another by a crane. Carey also said that the size of the cells could allow jail staff to lock down inmates for as much as 23 hours if needed.

At the groundbreaking ceremony for the jail expansion held in April, Hamilton County Sheriff Mark Bowen said, “We’re bursting at the seams. The jail was built 25 years ago to hold 296 inmates. We’re currently pushing 400 inmates.”

Sheriff’s Department Captain Dennis Quakenbush attributed the increase in number of inmates to a recent change in law that requires counties, instead of state prisons, to house low-level felony offenders. Quakenbush also said the jail has seen a significant increase in number of prisoners involved in drug related offenses.

According to Carey, the project is expected to be completed in early March 2019.

 

New jail cells will have their own shower stalls. The expansion project’s design will allow maintenance workers to access each individual cell’s utilities from a hallway located behind the cells, eliminating the need for maintenance staff to enter an area containing inmates. (Reporter photo by Jeff Jellison)