WFHB Bloomington Community Radio
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The complex issues with Monroe County’s current jail, and the task of building a new jail has been looming over county officials’ heads for several years now.
A criminal justice and incarceration study was commissioned by Monroe County in 2019 which detailed the problems with the current jail, notes Monroe County attorney Jeff Cockerill.
“At that point in time, Did the study, of course, and we, we had it going and then of course, Covid hit. And so everything gets delayed a little bit. But we finally got the report back in 2021, the summer of 2021. And it, it covered a lot of areas,” said Cockerill.
The report stated the current jail facility is failing, and “cannot ensure consistent and sustainable provision of constitutional rights of incarcerated persons.”
Jordan McIntire is the executive director of New Leaf New Life, a non-profit that supports incarcerated and formerly incarcerated individuals in Monroe County. She is concerned a new, bigger jail will lead to more people being incarcerated to occupy the space.
“I don’t want there to be a bigger jail with more people incarcerated. But I do think that it’s important that if we’re going to have jails, and that is the reality that we’re living in, that it is able to provide, you know, the constitutional level of safety and care for the folks that are incarcerated,” said McIntire.
The road to building a new jail has been fraught with challenges. First with COVID-19 delays and extensive searches for viable areas within city limits to build, to areas accessible by public transport, and issues purchasing and rezoning land — the task of building a new jail seems extremely complex.
“I think that the city and the Plan Commission has to review this versus other uses. But at the end of the day, this is a use that we have to have in the community,” he said.
Monroe County Board of Commissioners approved a $10.02 million purchase agreement in July of this year to build a jail on almost 90 acres of land beside I-69 and West Fullerton Pike. But issues behind purchasing and rezoning the land for the jail seem to mount.
By a 6–3 vote this Monday, Bloomington’s Planning Commission supported suggestions, which then sends a negative recommendation to the city council about the Monroe County government’s request for rezoning.
The rezoning is required to convert the ability to build a jail on the property, from mixed-use employment (ME) to mixed-use institutional (MI).
Before Monday’s meeting, Lee Jones expressed the importance of acquiring this land for the prison.
“If they reject it, it still goes to the city council who could vote for it. And Well, I’m very hopeful that they’ll understand the acute need and will work with us”
Time seems to be running out. While Monroe County has a purchase agreement for the land, contingent on approval of a rezone— this agreement expires at the end of the year.
“If for some reason that doesn’t work out, we have identified a few properties out in the county that could be used and, um, that’s what we would have to do. Then we run into more. Transportation problems, which probably could be solved. It might be more expensive. and just access would be much more difficult. But that’s, that’s what many communities have had to resort to. And if we cannot find land use in the city, that’s what we’ll have to do.”
There are two more regular meetings scheduled on the city council’s calendar for this year.
For now, it seems, the reality of rezoning and building a new jail is still uncertain.
