Committee recommends space study to expand jail re-entry programming at Justice Building

The Kosciusko County Strategic Planning Committee on June 30 recommended the county commissioners commission a building space study to identify underused space in the Justice Building that could be repurposed for re-entry and vocational programming.

The committee chair told attendees the goal is to "get some feedback from department heads" and to "try to push forward" projects that merit further investigation. The sheriff said the jail population is "about 206" and stressed the county's need is program space rather than additional beds: "it's not a need for more beds. It's more need for the programming," he said, adding that participants who complete programs have returned to custody "not at the rapid pace" they did previously.

The proposed study would map current space usage, evaluate accessibility and security constraints and recommend options for shifting functions to free room for educational, therapy and vocational classes the sheriff and jail staff described as crucial to reducing recidivism. Committee members pointed to examples of vocational and virtual-reality training being used elsewhere and said such programs are often limited by simple floor-space constraints, not demand.

Committee members also discussed trade-offs if the county reassigns office or records space to programming, noting some records are statutorily required to be retained on county premises. The chair framed the committee's role as advisory: any study or capital project would first be recommended to the full county commissioners for funding and approval.

The committee did not take a formal vote at the meeting; members said they would forward the recommendation and supporting rationale to the commissioners and consider holding a public meeting to gather constituent input.

The next procedural step is for the committee to present the study proposal and estimated scope to the commissioners for authorization and budgeting.