Why No Jail In New Courthouse Project?
The election over whether to adopt the $5 million courthouse bond is planned for August 8. In the past weeks, the county has published information in the newspaper, on their website and social media, mailed out pamphlets, and held public informational meetings to educate the public regarding the need for and goals of the project. One issue that has been repeatedly brought up is the lack of a jail in the plans for the new law enforcement center. County officials and the project architect took some time to address that decision.
Marshall County formerly housed prisoners in the jail at the Courthouse. A few years ago, however, the decision was made by the County Commissioners to contract with Day, Brown and Roberts County to hold and house prisoners. According to Sheriff Sam Swanson, at that time, the county was facing the reality of the jail being shut down anyway. Though it was under the tenure of the previous sheriff Damian Bahr, Swanson notes the decision was likely a preventative measure as they were no longer meeting state requirements and the jail had not been updated in years.
Now, with plans being circulated for a new law enforcement center that will be attached to the courthouse and financed partially by the soon to be voted upon bond, residents asked the obvious question. Why wouldn’t a jail be included in the new center since we’re building anyway?
The biggest issue, according to county officials, is cost. It is cheaper to contract with Day and Roberts Counties to hold Marshall County prisoners than it would be to include a jail in the project. County Auditor Megan Biel explained that a big cost consideration is staffing. “With the State requiring that E911 dispatchers be locked down and no longer allowed to function as jailers, we would have to hire at least five full-time jailers to cover the jail duties 24/7,” she said.
She gave a rough estimated cost of hiring a full-time jail staff. “The annual cost of hiring five full-time jailers with salaries and benefits would be $277,200, when estimating a $43,000 salary plus retirement and $750 per month for health benefits.”
In comparison, Biel stated that from January to June, the county spent under $35,000 for prisoner housing by taking them to Day, Roberts and Brown County. Sheriff Swanson added that jailers must have specialized training that would cost the county. And he and Biel both added that finding qualified employees and retaining them is already difficult.
Even as the law enforcement center project would get underway, before any employees could be hired, officials also say that the cost of the building would substantially increase. Project Architect Josh Muckenhirn emphasized that if a jail was added, the new center would have to be substantially larger, which would obviously increase overall costs. Additionally, Muckenhirn added that cost per foot would essentially double with the inclusion of jail. This is due to the stringent requirements when building a jail. “All the materials would cost more because you have to have much more robust security,” the architect noted. “Also, the increased security in general calls for specialized spaces like a control room.”
Beyond employees and the facility itself, Biel said additional costs of operating the jail would include prisoner supplies, like clothing, bedding, laundry and toiletries in addition to paying for three meals a day.
At the end of the day, Biel explained that jails in South Dakota are really only able to be profitable if they take outside prisoners on contract. “And in the past, we have heard from Marshall County residents that they would not want outside prisoners here,” Biel said.
For his part, the sheriff says he is pleased with the system they have in place currently. In his opinion, contracting to send prisoners to the surrounding counties is working well. He also feels that the new law enforcement center plans for two holding cells is adequate. “We can’t hold juveniles anyway without special facilities, so two cells, one for men and one for women, works well,” Swanson noted. “Our goal is to only hold them for up to six hours anyway.”
County officials, including Swanson and Biel are happy to answer more questions about the project. More information about the bond issue and the project can be viewed on the county’s website at https:// marshall.sdcounties.org.