(KNSI) – Stearns County lays out the case for a new jail in its Spring 2023 newsletter.
The current facilities are nearly 40 years old and already at their expected useful life. The county says it can no longer kick the can down the road. It allocated $5 million for the Law Enforcement Center in 2012, where the jail and sheriff’s offices are. Now a more extensive update is needed.
The county says a study from BKV Group shows parts of the infrastructure are worn out, a remodel of the current jail is nearly impossible while it is in use, state standards have changed since the center was built in 1986, and the jail population is on the rise.
Officials say that the jail is used today only to keep the community safe by housing the most dangerous alleged offenders. Anyone who is believed to have committed a crime but can be let out with proper monitoring and other support programs is released due to lack of space. Stearns County also houses some of its jail population in neighboring counties.
Current estimates show the jail will need 300 beds, about double the current number, by 2050. It is also projected to have 14 courtrooms, which will require a much larger facility.
The newsletter can be read here.
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