Facilities committee hears jail assessment: overcrowding, mold, safety and multimillion-dollar choices
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Summary
County staff and consultants told the Facilities Planning Committee the sheriff’s office and jail are strained by cramped, aging space, rising mental‑health needs and maintenance problems; the committee discussed transport costs, remodeling limits and multi‑year timelines and costs for a new facility.
Members of the Richland County Facilities Planning Committee on Tuesday heard a detailed assessment of the county jail and sheriff’s office that described cramped, aging space, recurring water and pest problems and operational constraints that limit classification and programing options.
"There's no room for growth for us," a sheriff’s office representative told the committee, describing evidence and file storage in makeshift locations, recurring water infiltration and intermittent heating and electrical failures. Venture Architects, the firm that prepared the facility assessment, reviewed structural, plumbing and electrical systems and warned that aging components make repairs and part replacement more difficult.
The jail administrator presented a slide deck showing seven housing blocks with limited ability to separate inmates by classification, gender and special needs. The administrator said the facility’s layout and small cell blocks, together with rising numbers of people with mental‑health needs, make appropriate housing increasingly difficult. "We have a lot of people that are housed with us that have mental health issues and often can't be housed with other people," the administrator said, noting months‑long waits to place some people in specialized mental‑health facilities.
Staff described operational safety concerns: a shared elevator used during EMS responses can remove public access to upper floors, and narrow booking and holding areas complicate booking and medical transport. Chief Deputy Debbie Wallace said EMS access is constrained, adding, "They can't really get a gurney in there very well." Committee members and staff urged tours so decision‑makers can see conditions firsthand.
The discussion covered options and costs. Staff noted statutory requirements mean the county would remain financially responsible for people in custody even if it outsourced housing; current out‑of‑county placements for women were cited at roughly $60 per day. An illustrative transport‑only scenario based on 2025 bookings produced an estimate near $600,000 (initial transports to a receiving facility and return transports), and staff said annual medical provider costs have crept toward $200,000. Venture Architects offered planning timelines of roughly 10–12 months for design and about two years for construction once a project is started.
Committee members discussed alternatives including reducing in‑county capacity and increasing transports, phasing new construction or shelling space for later expansion. Speakers emphasized tradeoffs: closing the in‑county jail would reduce some staffing costs but could increase transport obligations, impose costs on partner law enforcement and affect court logistics. Officials also cited recent comparable projects: a 55‑bed facility reported to cost about $30 million and combined courthouse/jail concepts that other modeling had placed near $70 million, while acknowledging costs vary by scope and timing.
No formal decision was made on construction or closure; committee members directed staff and consultants to continue study, pursue tours, refine cost and phasing scenarios, and consider grant and legislative funding opportunities as part of capital planning.
