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By Lisa Majors-Duff
While state jail inspectors have all but given the go-ahead for
prisoners to be housed in the Jackson County Detention Center,
Sheriff Jimmy Ashe said last week that additional concerns need
to be addressed before the building is put to use.
Appearing before the board of commissioners Sept. 9, Ashe reported
that National Institute of Corrections jail inspectors Warren
Cook and Grace Smith had made an on-site visit and recommended
several safety enhancements, including perimeter fencing.
In addition, the two pointed out legal and OSHA violations on
the inside of the building that must be corrected to avoid liability
on the county's part, Ashe said.
"My intention is to serve the citizens of Jackson County
through the proper and safe use of the resources entrusted to
me," the sheriff said. "All of us have a clear responsibility
to the same public, and it is my expectation that the board will
heed the counsel of our experts and join me in assuring that our
detention facility is operated in a fashion consistent with the
best practices in corrections management."
As the jail sits now, adjacent to the Justice Center, it is susceptible
to vandalism, Cook said.
"Right now anyone can walk up and play with the windows,"
he said. "With a drill they could take out a window and pass
contraband through."
Perimeter fencing, which Ashe estimated to cost about $40,000,
would prevent anyone from approaching the jail or having access
to Sheriff's Office equipment, Cook said. An electronic gate with
coded entry would also provide a secure parking area for county
officials, including judges and commissioners, he said.
A fence would also go a long way toward meeting standards for
housing federal prisoners, which Ashe has indicated would be a
way for Jackson County to earn revenue from its jail.
"I'd get the fence installed before you start moving prisoners,"
Cook said.
"I never wanted this to look like a jail," said board
Chairman Stacy Buchanan. "That's the reason I voted to build
the jail here. We were assured that we would not need a fence."
"Hindsight is 20/20 in most cases," Ashe responded.
"It's a shame we didn't have these people on board in the
design phase, but it comes down to security for the public or
cosmetics."
The legal violation Cook cited concerns the flow of prisoners
after they enter the building. As stated in N.C. General Statutes,
individuals not officially in the custody of the jail may not
be taken into the jail, he said. But the location of the Magistrate's
Office makes that situation possible, said Cook, who suggested
moving the office within the new jail or leaving it at the old
county courthouse.
"We have plans for that building," said Buchanan, who
suggested the architects be contacted about these issues.
A special meeting with Barge, Waggoner, Sumner and Cannon, the
Tennessee firm that designed the detention center, has been scheduled
for 6 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 23.
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