Commissioners eye new 600-bed Madison Co. Jail

JACKSON, Tenn. — County leaders hash out plans for a new jail in Madison County. They met with architects Monday to decide how many beds the new facility will hold.

“Nothing definite just discussion, trying to come up with a solution,” Madison County Commissioner Luther T. Mercer said.

The group agreed to consider building a facility that can house 600 beds total. “I personally think that’s probably a little bit high,” Madison County Commissioner Larry Lowrance said. “We need some more facts, but you have to have something to start with.”

Lowrance said the county currently has space for about 450 inmates. “Our recidivism rate is about 87 percent,” he said. “There sheriff says the average should be about 60. If we could work to reduce that, that would be equivalent to about 100 beds.”

Commissioners said they are still not sure how much the new facility will cost.

Committee members said the jail annex has to go. They are also considering shutting down the penal farm and moving everything to one spot.

“We’ve got to look at the future,” Madison County Sheriff John Mehr said. “We don’t want to build and then five years down the road, 10, 20 years down the road say they really messed up.”

Nothing is set in stone. “We’re trying to pull all this stuff together, see what it looks like, what it’s going to cost and what is feasible for the county,” Mercer said.

Commissioners said a final decision could take months. The group will meet again Tuesday. They are expected to discuss health care within the new facility.