Officials say county jail faces overcrowding

On Aug. 5, Vernon County residents will be asked to vote on a county-wide sales tax that is earmarked to build a new county-city law enforcement building and to finance the installation and upkeep of a enhanced 911 system. Included in this building will be a new county jail. The condition of the Vernon County Jail is cramped and past its ability for confinement. "We've run out of room," said Vernon County Sheriff Ron Peckman. He reports that the population just keeps increasing and sometimes they are taxed to find places for inmates. The county jail has a capacity of 22 prisoners. Right now 30 are incarcerated there. In addition, inmate personal possessions are stored in Rubbermaid containers and the dispatch office is a little smaller than the average cell. Peckman said that on average one day a month the jail is not overcrowded and there is just no where to expand. They have run out of room for filing and evidence. While occasionally they can move a few prisoners to the city holding units, the city does not have a jailer and will only hold someone for 36 hours if they are not too disruptive. One of the primary problems is security. The largest cell block is four cells with a short hall closed off with a lockdown door. Under overcrowding conditions the cells have to be left open and allow prisoners access to the hall. The safety concerns are most evident when the lockdown door is opened. "When you open up that cell door there you are, face to face with six of them," said Peckman. Vernon County does get hardened criminals in its lockup and occasionally personalities clash which can result in fights. Peckman reports that they do take precautions like never going into the cell block alone and using a riot shield or pepper spray. Another concern of the Sheriff's Office is accessibility, as dictated by the Americans with Disabilities Act. Peckman reports that there is no handicapped ramp and there is no place in any cell for wheelchairs. "There is a lot of safety and security issues," said Peckman. Both Peckman and Presiding County Commissioner Charlie Johnson are concerned about the possibility of lawsuits arising from jail conditions. "The jail, as it is now, is a huge liability to the county," said Johnson. Currently, in addition to lacking some handicapped accessible features, the facility has some problems relating to building code, fire code and life safety standards. While Missouri has no jail regulations, the proposed public safety center will have a 96 bed jail that meets American Correctional Association and Immigration and Naturalization Services standards that will help to eliminate possible deficiencies. Johnson said that the county has to balance incarceration issues with humanitarian issues. It will also contain law enforcement offices for both county and city, a criminal arraignment court and the E911 Communications Center. Johnson said that the new facility will also be equipped to house federal prisoners, which will help pay for the facility. "We are trying to look into the future," said Johnson. He added that it has been 15 to 20 years since the current jail has met the needs of the county. Like any new tax, voters may be concerned that the money raised from the tax may not go where it is supposed to go. Johnson said that while the proposed sales tax offers the flexibility to pay for anything related to law enforcement, it would not replace any money already spent by the county on the sheriff's office. Even though no one likes paying new taxes Johnson says that for the county it is the only way to generate the kind of money needed to build a new public safety building and install a E911 system. The only time the county has successfully passed a county wide sales tax was a one half of one percent tax in 1980. If the proposed county sales tax is defeated, the Vernon County Sheriff's Office plans to keep soldiering on. "We will just keep doing with what we got," said Peckman. The current sheriffs office and jail was opened to receive prisoners in 1964. It was converted from a post office opened in 1910 and was a great improvement over the former facility, the Bushwhacker Jail. The Bushwhacker Jail was originally built in 1860 and was partially destroyed in the razing of the town during the Civil War. After being rebuilt it served as in an official capacity until 1960. In the nearly 150 years that Vernon County has been in existence, there have been only two jails to house its prisoners.