It will cost about $35 milion.
Marshall County is expanding, and so is its jail!
The county commission approved a $35 million bid to add 250 new beds to the facility.
Sheriff Phil Sims says overcrowding at the Marshall County Jail has been a significant issue for years, and this expansion is needed now more than ever.
“Marshall County is growing. One of the fastest-growing counties now in the state, and with all the good that comes with Marshall County, there's going to be some bad, and we have to be able to address that,†said Sims.
The expansion will include two floors and an additional 250 beds. On top of that, the facility will also house a new medical unit specializing in mental health.
Sims added, "It'll be a true medical unit. We’ll have full-time medical staff here. We’ll have a full-time mental health person that works from Mountain Lakes Assisted to this jail. It's going to allow us to give better treatment to inmates, not just for medical issues but for mental health also.â€
Sims says a lot of good will come out of this expansion—including some new jobs.
"One thing it'll do is allow my correctional officers to be in a safer environment. Inmates will be in a safer environment. It will also allow us to ease the overcrowding, but to do so, we'll have to hire additional correctional officers—probably around 27 or so additional staff members,†said Sims.
Most importantly, though, for you—Sims says this expansion will help keep the public safer.
Sims said, “Anytime you have a jail, and it's overcrowded and you're busting at the seams, and it's to the point where you hardly can take anybody else—any kind of violent criminal or somebody that committed a violent act—that is a public safety issue. So yes, this will help keep the public safer."
Marshall County leaders hope to break ground at the end of next month. They say the entire project could take anywhere from two to two and a half years.
