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Douglas County corrections director reports rising population and program activity; jail remains fully staffed at officer ranks
Summary
Director Michael Myers told the Board of Corrections that average daily population rose to 1,138 in November, the jail reported reductions in overtime compared with prior month and multiple reentry and therapeutic programs are operating, while staff training and audits are planned for 2026.
Michael Myers, director of corrections for Douglas County, presented the board's November 2025 corrections report on Dec. 16, describing population increases, program activity and operational planning for a late‑2026 mental‑health housing addition.
Myers said DCDC was approximately $855,561 under budget in administrative services after five months of the fiscal year and that November overtime totaled $291,084 (a roughly $45,000 reduction from the previous month). The department processed more than $800,000 in bond payments, graduated 13 cadets from the training academy on Nov. 21, and reported being fully staffed across correctional officer ranks as of Nov. 30.
On population, Myers reported 1,279 admissions and 1,220 releases in November, with an average daily population (ADP) of 1,138 (up 29 month‑over‑month). The department recorded a high count of 1,149 and a low of 1,069 for the month. Myers said the pretrial felony ADP was about 777 and that 66% of the jail population were minorities; 20% were aged 18–24 and 19% were homeless or nearly homeless.
Myers summarized medical and mental‑health activity: 1,032 intake screenings, 357 health and physical assessments, 129 initial psychiatric assessments and 314 initial mental‑health assessments; 93 individuals were placed on suicide precautions and 170 on drug or alcohol detox protocols. He also reported 23 emergent medical transports in November resulting in 4 hospital admissions and 17 days of hospitalization.
Security and training were also discussed: CERT and the crisis negotiation team were active in November, multiple deployments were resolved without physical force, nine searches recovered contraband, and the department reported a small number of staff injuries related to use‑of‑force incidents and training. Myers said the department is planning for a mental‑health housing addition to open in late 2026 and will host NCCHC and ACA audits in 2026, and that the department continues ongoing work on staff development and retention programs.
Commissioners asked for additional follow‑up data, including year‑over‑year population comparisons, more detail about GED programming for younger detainees and clarification about therapeutic community counts. Myers agreed to bring additional staff and data to a future meeting in January.
