Medford, Ore. – Jackson County Sheriff Corey Falls is closing a portion of the Jackson County Jail, sending 6o inmates back out on the street. In a press conference on Thursday, Sheriff Falls said the closure is due to a lack of deputies to staff the basement wing.
The basement was remodeled in April of 2014, from an old office space, to have six new lock-down cells, a new 32-bed dorm, and room for 24 additional inmates. The project cost $2.7 million, and was completed under former Sheriff Mike Winters.
“I don’t believe the jail was opened in a stable manner in 2014,” Sheriff Falls said. “What’s currently happening right now is the only way we’re able to staff out jail at minimum staffing levels is to force people in on overtime.”
On Thursday, Sheriff Falls said the additional space isn’t worth the cost, so it will be closed. At the moment, female inmates are being housed in the basement. They’ll be moved to another wing of the building.
Sheriff Falls says the 60 inmates that will be released back onto the street in December will be low-risk. He also says that in the future, when the jail is at capacity only the lowest risk inmates will be released.
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