The Marshall County Jail may be expanding to accommodate the growing number of inmates in the jail.
Sheriff Matt Hassel shared with the commissioners Monday morning that the average daily jail population has risen in the 239-bed facility from 132 in 2014 to a monthly average of over 160 since January of this year.
“Usually by November and December that number drops way down, but it did not go down,” said Hassel. “In 2017, we averaged 153 prisoners. Our monthly average for January of this year was 166, February was 184, March 194, April 201, May 198 and 212 in June. In one day, our maximum in July was 240.”
In six recent roundtable meetings with the Indiana Sheriff’s Association, it was noted that opioids and methamphetamines are the number one drugs abused by residents in each county. Hassel recommends that there be a regional treatment center to help those with addictions to get them processed through the system a little more swiftly.
“I mean, some of these inmates that I’m housing can’t even participate in their defense. So, they can’t go anywhere. The courts can’t take them to trial because they’re facing such horrendous mental health issues. We do eventually get them in and get them treatment, but sometimes we sit with them for six to eight weeks before we can get a bed open to send them.”
Several factors play into the increased population at the jail: pretrial detainees who don’t post bond, the housing of Level 6 Felony prisoners at the local level instead of the state, and heightened arrests for possessing and dealing in methamphetamine. Hassel noted that 25 percent of the population is female which is an unanticipated statistic.
Commissioner Kevin Overmyer said he spoke with Sheriff Hassel, County Council President Judy Stone, County Attorney Jim Clevenger and RQAW to discuss a potential jail pod expansion. Overmyer said the jail was designed with an expansion in mind and the conversation needs to start to accommodate the growing population.
The entire discussion can be heard on Sunday, Aug. 12 at noon during the Maximum Impact program on MAX 98.3 FM.
