Safety Risk
Public and Staff Safety
Safety is compromised every single time an inmate is moved within the jail or transferred to other facilities. Transferring inmates takes deputies off the road, decreasing their focus on citizen safety. It also presents added risk for accidents, disruptive behavior, and escape.
Other Safety Risks
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From a design perspective, the existing jail’s linear layout stretches cells along long hallways and acute angles, creating blind spots and the need for video surveillance or other means to maintain 24/7 visual surveillance.
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The only way to get inmates from sally port to booking is by elevator, which exposes deputies to risk by being with inmates in a confined space.
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The existing jail has limited receiving cells (2), which poses challenges and potential risks relating to proper inmate assessment and classification. This can result in inmates being placed directly into the jails general population. It can also lead to constitutional violations and overcrowding which can increase the risk of violence, present health and sanitation issues, and compromise the safety of staff and inmates.
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Professional visitors are brought into the secure perimeter of the jail to meet with inmates in person. This practice is a security and safety concern as it does not provide any physical barrier from the inmate in the case an inmate was to become assaultive or disruptive.
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There are no intercoms in the inmate living areas so if there is an emergency, inmates need to yell or wave at the cameras to get staff attention.
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Medical exam space is in a confined area that can be unsafe for staff and inmates.
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These items leave the public, staff, and inmates at risk of injury and pose potential liability to Rusk County.
