Listen:This year’s inspection of the Baxter County Detention Center, conducted one week prior to the sales tax election for funding the jail’s expansion, summarizes the needs the facility has and shows at least seven areas needing to be addressed.
Baxter County Sheriff John Montgomery says the inspection report confirms what he’s been saying all along.
The Coordinator of the Arkansas Jail Standards Office, Sterling Penix, says the review committee is excited for Baxter County as the community moves forward.
Montgomery says a great deal of work will be completed prior to the sales tax collections for the approved jail expansion and improvements beginning on April 1, 2018.
Listen:
The inspection report cites the need for additional storage for on-site health care, the need for repair of plumbing, fixtures and general cell features, and the need for additional observational cell areas. It also addresses the problems the facility has with overpopulation, making it hard to classify inmates.
Montgomery says one of the toughest problems is being understaffed.
Listen:
The maintenance and operation tax Montgomery refers to doesn’t begin until January 1, 2019. Part of that year’s budget considerations will include the amount of additional personnel needed to meet standards.
Jail standards indicate the Baxter County Jail is short roughly four jail staff members. When beds are added to the newer facility, it is likely the Sheriff’s Department will look to increase the amount of staff up to six.
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