Panel Recommends 1,500-Bed Jail

RICHMOND, Va. — A panel of Richmond city officials, after studying the city’s jail for the past year, has concluded that building a new jail is a better option than making renovations because it would allow for improved security and conditions for staff and inmates.

The city’s 40-year-old jail houses more than 1,500 inmates in an area intended for 882. It also suffers security issues, such as broken locks in high-security wings and poor surveillance, according to county officials.

The proposed facility would have 1,600 to 2,000-beds, costing between $75 million and $80 million. The panel suggested using a financing program offered by the U.S. Marshals Service program to fund the project. The city is eligible to use the program because the jail would house federal offenders.

Until the new facility is built, the existing jail will receive nine surveillance cameras, an expanded education program for inmates and improvements to medical and dental facilities. New locks will be installed on all cell doors by next summer at a cost of about $1 million.

The panel also suggested creating alternatives for first-time, nonviolent offenders to reduce overcrowding.