The state Criminal Detention Facilities Review Commission has recommended closing the Lawrence County jail next month after an inspection revealed several safety concerns.
The commission gave Lawrence County officials until Sept. 17 to close the 42-bed jail in Walnut Ridge or face an attorney general's lawsuit, Lawrence County District Judge Jason Marshall said.
The jail, which is under the Lawrence County Courthouse, has routinely failed inspections for the past 10 years.
"The [commission] has given us six-month periods many times before to address the concerns they listed," Marshall said. "If we could get another six-month extension for this, we'll take it. But the fire marshal could shut it down today."
The inspection found that the jail's sprinkler system was inadequate, and there were no fire alarms, said Jack McCord, a member of the review commission who inspected the jail Wednesday.
"It's a bad situation," McCord said. "The jail failed to meet minimum standards for safety.
"No jail needs to be like a Holiday Inn, but these are state standards that have to be met. This has been continuing on for years. The Quorum Court didn't take it seriously, apparently."
Lawrence County Judge Dale Freeman referred all questions about the jail to Marshall.
Meanwhile, Freeman called for a special meeting next Thursday so justices of the peace can meet with Lawrence County Sheriff Jody Dotson and members of the review commission to discuss the jail's closure.
Dotson was in meetings Thursday and did not return telephone messages.
Earlier this month, Freeman submitted an application with the Arkansas Department of Correction to consider his county when building a new 1,000-bed prison.
But for jailing county prisoners, tentative plans call for transporting Lawrence County prisoners to the newly opened Greene County jail after Sept. 17, Marshall said.
"We'll hold video court for probable cause and bond hearings as much as we can to eliminate transportation costs," he said.
Some areas of the jail also may be remodeled to be used as holding areas for transported prisoners awaiting court and for those suspected of driving while intoxicated who need to be incarcerated overnight.
"The jail is old," Marshall said of the 49-year-old facility. "It's not very nice. The sheriff has always tried to operate it as best he could.
"But now, I have to look at it as how are we going to keep the court going? How are we going to keep incarcerating people? We still have to have the teeth to be able to collect fines and hold prisoners."
Neighboring Jackson County faced a similar problem with its jail. After several failed inspections and rounds of six-month probationary periods, the review commission ordered the jail closed in August 2012.
Jackson County voters approved two three-eighth percent sales taxes to pay for construction of a new jail and funds to operate it.
Marshall said Lawrence County may seek a sales tax of its own to pay for a new jail.
"I don't believe remodeling the jail is an option," he said. "The jail needs to be replaced. We could end up not having a jail forever, but if that happened, we'd be passing our money into another county to pay for holding our prisoners."
Marshall said he also will study alternative sentences to reduce the number of prisoners.
"I don't see this as a crisis at all. There are answers. We will find them."
State Desk on 08/30/2014