Monroe County Council members meet Tuesday, March 28, 2023 at the Monroe County Courthouse.
(Courtesy of Monroe County Government)
Nearly all members of the Monroe County Council have agreed on a list of recommendations for a new county jail.
Six of the seven council members voted in favor Tuesday of three proposals for a new jail: that the facility have no more than 400 beds, be as close to existing services as possible and that a justice campus size will be determined by several factors in the future. Council members noted they didn't have the data to be more specific on the third recommendation.
The recommendations are non-binding, as it is the three county commissioners who will ultimately decide on the size and location of a new jail. The county council will decide on funding for the facility.
Council member Marti Hawk, the only one to vote against the recommendations, said she felt it was too early for the council to make any decisions on the matter.
But council member Peter Iversen, who drafted a document laying out the recommendations, said it had already been shared with the Community Justice Response Committee, a group of county officials discussing potential plans for a new jail.
“This has been emailed out to folks, so the cat is essentially out of the bag,” Iversen said. “I would ask that we take care of this this evening.”
Hawk wasn’t the only one apprehensive about voting on the recommendations Tuesday. County council member Trent Deckard suggested delaying a vote until the council’s regular session on April 11 but supported any progress toward a more humane jail.
“People want to see movement, and they want to see good movement and (that) people are treated humanely,” Deckard said. “Movement toward the good is kind of where my heart and intention is.”
Iversen said delaying the vote would accomplish little, however.
The council’s recommendations come as progress continues to stall at CJRC meetings, which have been characterized by personal feuds and hostility between the commissioners and other committee members.
Deckard said the council’s vote on the recommendations is a sign of progress, which has been lacking at CJRC meetings.
“I recognize that one thing that is missing from politics these days is the discussion or art of compromising in any sense or fashion; it’s missing at every level,” Deckard said. “It’s like the word has been deleted. No one can seem to find it. And I’m always for anything that’s going to make good progress and get done, and I think this represents a semblance of some of that.”
Hawk also brought up the CJRC and said there should be a Republican member on the committee. It is currently made up entirely of Democrats.
“There needs to be more than just one direction,” Hawk said. “We need to have opinions coming from everywhere before we can move forward together, because believe me: (this) … could be the most expensive project we’ve ever done. We better make sure that it’s what the people want, not just when you’re sitting up there to friends who think like you or want to believe like you, but the entire community; and we don’t always think alike.”
There are no representatives of city government serving on the CJRC, another point many have criticized.
Commissioners shared their vision for a new jail at the last CJRC meeting. Included in their goals are expanded treatment options and programming to reduce incarceration rates and recidivism.
They have suggested the new Hopewell neighborhood as a potential site for a new jail but have said the city administration is not supportive of the idea.
Commissioner Penny Githens said it is difficult to find a plot of land within Bloomington large enough for what the commissioners want.
She said she hopes to continue discussing recommendations for a new facility soon.
The CJRC’s next meeting is scheduled for Monday at the Monroe County Courthouse.
