Thurston County to commission study after work group outlines three jail‑space options

Thurston County commissioners on Oct. 29 directed staff to scope a comprehensive study of options to address the county's jail‑space shortage after a county work group presented three high‑level possibilities: building a flex unit, renovating a dorm in the existing jail or repurposing the juvenile (youth services) facility.

County Manager Leonard Hernandez told the board the group’s work narrowed the options but that each one “would need additional exploration” and outside expertise to produce accurate cost and operational estimates. “We can take old plans as well. I mean, we're not starting from scratch here,” he said.

Why it matters: Commissioners and the sheriff said the county is managing an uptick in people who need individual cells, many of whom are people with serious mental‑health needs who cannot be housed in dorm-style housing. Sheriff Sanders warned the jail currently lacks the capacity to safely house people with acute mental‑health needs and that the county’s existing alternatives — contract housing outside the county or short lived triage beds — have practical limits. “The jail is not equipped to house…