Bartholomew County Sheriff Chris Lane announced late Thursday he is moving all current inmates out of the “old portion” of the county jail due to the continuing installation of the HVAC renovation project and to address the ongoing shortage of corrections officers.
By moving the 48 inmates to the newer portion of the jail, it will eliminate the need to have corrections officers spread over a larger area, Lane said.
In addition, the jail population has decreased to 212 inmates, making it possible for the 48 to move into the newer portion, he said. The newer portion of the jail is not affected by the HVAC renovation project, he said.
By moving all the inmates into the newer part of the jail, Lane said he will also be able to reduce the amount of overtime being worked by corrections officers until more can be hired.
“We will continue to maintain and improve the unused jail pods and cells when the inmate population grows requiring us to restart usage of this space. This move will also allow the contractors to complete the installation of the HVAC renovation project. This will also provide relief from the heat for the inmates with the coming summer months. The drug treatment programs offered by the jail will not be affected by this change, we realize the importance of these programs and they were a priority in this decision-making process,” Lane said.
This change is part of the strategic priorities identified when taking office, Lane said, and will “allow us to operate more efficiently reducing the cost to the taxpayer and make it more effective for our employees to provide these services.”
