The formation of the Justice Advisory Committee provided the community with a voice in determining changes and no “multi-million-dollar” plans have been launched yet, Decker said. “It is alarming and unacceptable to launch multi-million-dollar plans without a single public meeting and without any mechanism for public input, especially by those who will be most directly impacted by this jail,” Demmings said. For the past several months, members have written letters, sought meetings with the county administrator and county commissioners, posed questions at county commission meetings and filed multiple public records requests they claim fell on deaf ears. Members said they have unsuccessfully sought information for more than a year from county officials about jail expansion and or renovation plans. Montgomery County Jail Coalition members gathered Wednesday near the existing jail on West Second Street in downtown Dayton to demand the county be open about any jail modifications and bring the community to the table.
The application shows the jail deficient in space requirements and exceeded the Bureau of Adult Detention’s rated 443 inmate capacity each day of a 30-day reporting period. The county’s grant application to the state indicates a total project cost of $140 million with $94 million earmarked for new construction. CHRIS STEWART / STAFFĬounty commissioners last week approved a resolution to seek a $40 million jail capital improvement grant from the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, which was sent to the state Tuesday, according to the county. Montgomery County has asked an architect already working on jail enhancements to now provide an option for building a new 937-bed facility at the corner of North Perry and West Second streets and estimate costs for demolishing the existing nearby jail. More thought is being given to security and safety with more space devoted to beds allocated for women and for those detoxing, inmates with mental health issues or those who need their health monitored. Increasing capacity is not the county’s main priority but is being considered due to possible increases in the county’s general population in coming decades, Decker said. “HDR Is not looking to help us house more inmates they are looking at ways to help us do a better job of properly housing the number of inmates we have now,” she said. “The steps the county and HDR are taking now will help ensure we are able to have a jail that will take us through the next 30 years,” she said.ĭecker said the makeup of the inmate population has changed dramatically since the original jail construction in the 1960s, with many more women and more facing mental health issues and battling drug and alcohol addiction. HDR’s needs assessment and the amount of funding available will determine the course of action for the project, said Deb Decker, Montgomery County’s communications director. Explore Local jails overcrowded, failing safety standards, investigation shows