Panel commends Franklin County on jail plan

A jail standards committee has approved a plan by Franklin County detailing steps it is taking to address chronic problems under which it has been operating its 42-year-old jail.

The 5th Judicial District Criminal Detention Facilities Review Committee released a letter Thursday that said a resolution detailing the plan the Quorum Court approved Aug. 11 was "serious and deliberate."

The committee, in a jail review report in November, gave the county until June -- and later extended the deadline to last week -- to come up with a compliance plan to deal with jail violations.

"Failure to produce a serious and deliberate plan will result in a request to close and/or modify jail operations," the report said.

After a meeting with county officials and committee members last week, the letter said, the committee commended county officials for the work they have done so far on the jail problem.

County Judge Rickey Bowman said Tuesday the county must continue to make progress because the understaffed and overcrowded jail is not safe for employees or inmates.

Thursday's letter said the committee will review the jail again in mid-April and will expect a report from the county on plans for construction of a new jail or transitioning to a temporary holding facility. The committee also will expect the county to provide a facility staff level update.

When contacted Tuesday, Bowman said he was meeting with the jail administrator on how many additional employees the jail needs to function properly, how much the additional jailers will cost the county and where that money will come from in the county's tight budget.

The Quorum Court's resolution, which passed 6-0 with three members absent, expresses the intention to call for a special election in the first quarter of 2017 for a sales tax to finance construction of a new jail.

The size of the tax hasn't been determined, Bowman said. The size of jail the county needs and the cost of building it will have to be analyzed in a needs assessment. An architect will have to be hired, and the county is looking at two companies to act as construction managers.

Bowman said he hoped the Quorum Court will vote next month on contracting with a construction manager.

According to the resolution, the Quorum Court has formed a jail committee to guide the discussion and make recommendations on a jail site, construction financing, maintenance and operations, and recruiting bond services.

The county has contacted the Western Arkansas Planning and Development District, the National Institute of Corrections and the University of Arkansas at Little Rock's Institute of Economic Advancement to conduct an analysis of the county and its needs.

The Quorum Court also has indicated that land the county owns in north Ozark could be used as the site for a new jail.

The county is addressing some jail violations, the resolution said. It has contacted Mercy Hospital in Ozark about providing nutritionist services for the jail and has purchased a self-contained breathing apparatus for fire safety.

The county also has contacted neighboring counties about the possibility of housing Franklin County prisoners in their jails if the county can't continue to house prisoners in its own, according to the resolution.

NW News on 08/26/2016

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