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Monroe County officials take questions about proposed jail site

By George Hale

Posted June 3, 2024

Ellettsville justice center jail Monroe County commissioners

The board is hosting another session this week at the Ellettsville Fire Department. (George Hale, WFIU/WTIU News)

Monroe County’s Board of Commissioners is considering land northwest of Bloomington for a new justice center to replace the aging downtown jail.

Members of the board insist the new facility is necessary because conditions in the current jail pose risks to detainees and guards alike.

The proposed site for the new justice center is a privately owned piece of land called “NorthPark,” northwest of State Road 46 and I-69.

On Sunday, the board held the first of two listening sessions in Ellettsville to answer questions from stakeholders and gather feedback.

Residents shared concerns about safety and noise, and how the location might affect property values. They also asked about new taxes.

Others registered objections to building the new facility in the first place.

Sam Holdeman from Bloomington isn’t unconvinced that constructing an entirely new justice center is the only solution to problems facing the jail.

“As a county, we would spend our money much better if we invested it in services and housing and concrete supports for people,” Holderman said. “Things that they need: Transportation, a place to live, a good job, and stuff like that.”

Holderman shares the commissioners’ concerns about the jail but says the county isn’t powerless to make reforms in the absence of a new facility.

“Conditions in the jail are very, very important, and it's key that we take those seriously. But there's a lot of things that they could be doing right now to improve them. For instance, allowing in-person visits, not making all mail go through this digital scanning system,” Holderman says.

“Our focus should be on what we can do here and now to reduce the number of people in jail. A lot of people are there for very bureaucratic reasons: failure to appear for court dates, probation violations, very technical stuff that we could change. Instead of doing that, the county is going to invest an astronomical amount of money in a solution we know just doesn't work.”

Last month, an engineering firm said the county should build a new jail with 450 to 500 beds instead of renovating the current 294-bed facility. According to the study, by the RQAW Corporation, the project will likely cost taxpayers between $90 to $100 million. County commissioners approved the $40,000 feasibility study last year.

A firm selected to design the new jail has estimated that it will cost even more: $140 million, at least, although the specific number hasn’t been finalized.

During Sunday’s meeting, commissioners pointed to a 2009 lawsuit filed by the ACLU of Indiana alleging the current jail violates detainees’ constitutional rights. They say the terms of a settlement with the ACLU promised reductions to the population. But the current building, in an urban area, can’t be expanded forever.

Board of Commissioners president Julie Thomas said that’s just one of the reasons the the county is out of options for making significant reforms.

“I am not a person that's ‘pro-jail.’ However, we are constitutionally required to provide a jail. And we should provide one that is humane and constitutionally appropriate. And our current jail is neither. So, we have to do something,” Thomas said.

“But we need to build a jail that does very well with programming, which means reducing recidivism, getting people out so they never come back into contact with the criminal justice system again. That's the goal but you need space to do that. … And we can do a lot more in terms of programming with better space, more space, than we can do now.”

The board is hosting a second session Wednesday at the Ellettsville Fire Department. The NorthPark landowner is expected to attend.

Residents can also also share feedback by emailing commissionersoffice@co.monroe.in.us or by attending virtual office hour sessions.

More information is available on the county’s website.