Richland County committee hears progress on detention center renovations, mental-health demands and maintenance changes

The Richland County Detention Center ad hoc committee heard an update on Nov. 1 about renovations, security upgrades and maintenance changes at the countys jail, and was told the county remains legally responsible for detainees with mental-health needs despite recent capital investments.

Administrator Brown told the committee the county is completing a full renovation of each of the facilitys 18 housing units, including new light fixtures, flooring, unit doors, stainless-steel toilet-and-sink combos and a water-management system intended to reduce damage and isolate failures to a single unit. "The renovations of each of the housing units, which we have 18, is a complete renovation to include light structures, to include flooring, to include the doors on the actual units themselves," Brown said.

Brown said several units are nearly finished but remain dependent on lighting deliveries and installation. He cited the "Mike" unit as about 90% complete with an estimated completion date of Nov. 7 pending fixture delivery, and said other units such as Kilo and Lima are about 95% complete. Once renovated units are available, officials plan to move detainees out of older, open-bay dorm space known as Phase 1.

Brown described Phase 1 as an open-bay dorm that is "not conducive to the population of individuals that we house," and said converting that space would require significant structural work to provide secondary secured areas. He added the current population includes a high percentage of people charged with violent crimes: "we have over 50% of the individuals who are housed in the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center are charged with some level of violent crime." Brown used the term "pretrial detainees" to describe most of the population.

Committee members asked about scheduling another site visit. Councilman Weaver said he would like to tour the newly renovated units and asked whether council members could talk with detainees during such visits. Brown warned that casual conversations can risk fraternization and alter detainees expectations; he also noted attorneys may object to council members speaking with clients. "The county attorney generally doesnt like to provide advice...in public regarding that," Brown said.

Brown told the committee there has been no change to the countys obligation to take detainees who have mental-health issues, and that a court opinion cited by outside agencies requires the county to provide care even if the facility is not a hospital. He proposed inviting the Department of Mental Health to brief the committee on options such as medically assisted treatment, noting the county cannot force medication unless ordered by a judge.

The presentation covered infrastructure projects beyond housing units. Brown said the facility-wide security system design is complete, construction drawings have been approved and the county will soon solicit bids for a contractor and permitting. Fire-alarm replacement is largely finished and awaiting certification. Brown described a new attorney-client visitation area outside the jail proper that provides both contact and noncontact rooms, designed for sound privacy and document exchange.

On utilities and aging infrastructure, Brown reported the lift-station project is about 85% complete and the roofing project remains the principal incomplete item on the facility list. He said the county previously approved construction of an additional tower to address classification and capacity issues so the detention center can continue accepting detainees 24 hours a day.

The county has also implemented a third-party maintenance provider, identified by the acronym CGL, to handle prioritized maintenance work through a work-order system that tracks completion and severity. Brown said the change addresses longstanding difficulties in recruiting in-house jail maintenance staff.

Votes at a glance: The committee unanimously approved prior meeting minutes and adopted the meeting agenda; it later voted unanimously to enter an executive session for personnel updates and unanimously to return from executive session. The executive-session announcement said counsel provided advice and that no formal action was taken.

The committee closed with no further public updates and adjourned. Members said they will schedule another site visit so council members can inspect completed units once lighting and turnover are finished.