CTAS jail assessment finds aging CJC, 300 beds routinely out of service; recommends options including centralized intake and engineering study

A County Technical Assistance Service (CTAS) jail needs assessment presented June 11 to Shelby County’s Budget & Finance Committee concluded the county faces operational and infrastructure problems at the Criminal Justice Center (CJC) and Jail East and outlined options that range from repair and partial expansion to consolidated new construction.

Jim Hart, the CTAS jail management consultant, said the CJC — opened in 1981 — has aging physical systems, recurring maintenance issues and capacity problems that limit classification and safe housing. “Somewhere in the neighborhood of about 300 beds that are routinely out of service,” Hart said, citing maintenance, inmate vandalism and classification constraints.

Nut graf: The study pairs operational shortcomings — staffing and duplication across multiple facilities — with urgent capital questions. Hart recommended targeted engineering and structural analyses before committing to a specific construction path.

Key findings

- Capacity and classification: The CJC’s design and its staffing model create difficulty housing inmates by risk and needs. Hart said the facility’s layout and multiple floors complicate secure movement and classification.

- Physical plant deterioration: CTAS reviewed Tennessee Corrections Institute inspections (2017–2024) and repeatedly found problems such as door and lock failures, water leaks, inoperable escalators and building systems deficiencies.

- Out‑of‑service beds: The report highlighted roughly 300 beds routinely unavailable because of maintenance issues, vandalism or classification mismatches.

- Length of stay and processing: CTAS reviewed roughly 46,000 inmate release records from 2023–24 and found about 6% of releases were for stays under 24 hours and about 67% were releases between 1–7 days; CTAS recommended deeper process reviews of booking, classification and court processing to reduce short‑term throughput issues.

- Health care and reentry services: Medical and mental‑health space was described as fragmented and undersized. CTAS called for modernized medical space, expanded re‑entry and diversion connections to community partners.

Options and recommendations

- Engineering and structural study: Hart urged a site‑by‑site structural assessment to determine remaining life expectancy and the feasibility/cost of renovation.

- Consolidation options: CTAS considered expanding the CJC footprint, and using alternate sites such as Shelby Farms or the former Firestone property; Hart also suggested exploring a centralized intake and release facility and converting Jail East to support short‑term intake housing.

- System governance: The report recommended a criminal justice coordinating committee to align court, jail, prosecution and service partners on diversion, classification and reentry planning.

Budget action and next steps

Sheriff Floyd Bonner and county staff had proposed CIP funding to plan, design and construct a new jail facility; the committee moved that proposal (committee packet listed an amount of $114,997,500) to the full County Commission without recommendation and asked for additional scoping and a program manager to develop a clear scope and cost estimate.

Ending

CTAS said the study is a starting point: engineering assessments, stakeholder planning, and clearer program definition are necessary before the county decides whether to renovate existing buildings, consolidate facilities or build a new campus.