County to Spend More Than $20 million on New Facility

NORRISTOWN, Pa. — Commissioners in Montgomery County plan to spend more than $20 million to add 512 minimum-security beds to the county jail.


The county will spend $21 million to $25 million on construction and initial operations, which is needed to match an increase in the inmate population, according to officials. The inmate population has grown by about 2.4 percent a year and new drunken driving law also created a spike in the number of inmates housed at the jail.


The new building is expected to be about 62,000 square feet and will house 448 men and 64 women. The facility will require 35 new correctional officer positions.


The county could offset some of the project costs by housing 100 illegal-immigrant detainees for the federal government.