Rutherford County review finds jail crowding, projects need for nearly 1,900 beds; officials recommend working group

Rutherford County officials heard a consultant presentation Thursday that concluded the county's detention center routinely exceeds recommended capacity, projects long-term growth in inmate populations and urged the formation of a formal working group to plan options including renovation, expansion or new construction.

The assessment, prepared by Jim Hart of the County Technical Assistance Service and reviewed with representatives from the Tennessee Corrections Institute, found the county’s jail routinely exceeds an 85% classification threshold used to preserve flexibility for separation of inmates and emergency surges. The study projects a total need of about 1,861 beds by 2045, compared with the county’s current total of 977 beds.

Why it matters: County leaders said the report is intended as a forward-looking planning tool rather than a call to immediate action. The report’s projections, cost estimates and site constraints are intended to inform a multi-year approach to jail needs, budgeting and stakeholder engagement.

Hart told the Public Safety Committee that “jails age about 3.5 years for every year of operation,” citing heavy use, vandalism and round-the-clock demands that accelerate wear on security systems, doors and bunking.

The study’s key findings included: the jail’s average daily population has trended upward since 2021 and exceeded the 85% classification figure prior to 2020 and again since late 2023; female inmate populations have grown proportionally faster than males and have routinely strained available female housing; average length of stay rose to about 27.5 days in 2024; and on a single day reviewed there were more than 400 people in custody with at least one failure-to-appear charge.

Hart recommended several operational steps the county could pursue before deciding construction: evaluate advanced court/appearance notification systems intended to reduce failures to appear, consider a criminal-justice coordinating committee to improve information-sharing among courts, pretrial services, probation and defenders, and examine fuller utilization of the county’s Correctional Work Center to reduce pressure on the jail. He also recommended a structural assessment of the current facility to determine remaining useful life before design decisions.

The Tennessee Corrections Institute’s Bob Bass noted the county’s proactive approach and the liability implications of failing TCI certification. “When TCI certifies a jail ... You're running a constitutionally correct jail,” Bass said, adding that if a facility becomes overcrowded the county can file a plan of action with the state but would need measurable progress to retain certification.

County officials and consultants discussed site constraints on the current jail property, noting portions of the lot lie in a floodplain and could complicate expansion. Hart overlaid portions of a comparably designed facility as a conceptual exercise, saying the current site could theoretically accommodate a substantial number of beds but that floodplain issues and other constraints would have to be resolved.

Cost and timeline: Hart provided a planning-range cost estimate of roughly $225,000 to $250,000 per bed and said a construction timeline from decision to opening would likely be on the order of four to five years. He also said jurisdictions often see a post-opening surge — an average 23.45% increase in population he observed from other projects — that should be considered in capacity planning.

Committee members asked operational questions including whether expansion would require moving inmates (Bass said it would not necessarily require closure during construction), whether Correctional Work Center medical staffing limits its use at night, and whether contracts with neighboring counties to house inmates had been studied (Hart said that was not part of this assessment). Sheriff Fitzhugh emphasized the facility’s constitutional role: “I mean, basically, I'd love to be, but, I mean, we're a jail. And, so that that's our primary function by constitution.”

No formal actions or votes were taken. Mayor Joe Carr summarized the meeting by saying the working group that commissioned the assessment had “fulfilled its, primary purpose” by delivering the study and asked the committee to consider forming a formal working group to translate the findings into options and schedules. Carr and other county leaders emphasized the review is one perspective and that additional stakeholder input and technical analysis will be needed before any funding or construction decisions.

The committee did not adopt any plan or commit funds Thursday; members asked that the county provide the presentation materials and that future updates be provided to the Public Safety Committee on a regular basis as planning continues.