Lang
7/12/24
Members of the Johnson County Board of Supervisors were hesitant to commit to building a new jail during discussion at this week’s work session.
Late last week the final results of a space needs study commissioned by the county and conducted by Shive-Hattery was made available to county officials. The study recommends a new jail, including 140 beds. The current jail, built in 1981, has only 92 beds.
While the board agreed a new facility is needed, supervisor V. Fixmer-Oraiz questioned the legitimacy of the Shive-Hattery study, claiming researchers did not go back far enough with the data used, that it did not take demographic data into account, and that some data was missing entirely.
Fixmer-Oraiz also argued that the recommended 140 beds were too much. Previous, failed jail proposals over the years recommended 243 beds, then 195, then 160. When Sheriff Brad Kunkel asked Fixmer-Oraiz what the appropriate amount of jail beds should be, they replied, “83” before saying they would like to see it at zero.
Fixmer-Oraiz was also concerned about the county jail’s recidivism rate, although Kunkel noted those numbers are skewed because many people are booked into the jail when arrested, then return for their sentence.
County officials will discuss the proposed new jail again at the August 28th work session.