Twin Falls County Jail Expansion Nears Completion

Did you know there was a Twin Falls County Jail expansion?  This isn’t a project approved by county voters during a referendum.  It’s funded by a federal grant (I may not quite have the verbiage exact but it’s a similar program).  The extension will provide space to house inmates who may be infected with the coronavirus.  Or in the future another pandemic which would require the prisoners be isolated from the general population.

The virus didn’t hit many state jails at the onset last spring but when it finally arrived, it made quick work of infection.  As a lot of the people who are locked up are younger, most made complete recoveries or suffered few symptoms.

The county must have the project completed by the end of December as stipulated by the agreement with the government behind the funding.  In other words, Washington attached at least one string by applying a deadline.

This is a separate project from the effort to build new jail space at the old juvenile detention center.  The kids are being moved to an area of county west where they can be secure.  They can also be near the staff where they can receive instruction and counseling.

This is very creative on the big chessboard of county government.

The current jail is overcrowded and a recent fire only made matters worse.  The expansion at the downtown site will be welcomed by inmates and the staff in constant contact with the population.   If you’ve been downtown, you may have seen the construction and been a bit curious.