Pushing for expansion

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- The Perry County Jail is too crowded, outdated and unsafe, say proponents of a sales tax increase going before voters next week.

Perry County voters will decide April 3 whether to approve a three-eighths-cent sales tax to fund the estimated $3.5 million project to expand and repair the county jail.

According to Sheriff Gary Schaaf, the county decided to raise its sales tax instead of its property tax so everyone can help pay, including people just passing through the area.

"Whether we pass this funding measure or not, the people of Perry County will have to pay through their existing tax structure," he said. "Budget requests from Perry County offices usually greatly exceed available funds already, so to have to pay for all of these things, which we are going to have to do anyway, is going to really stretch available funds."

The existing jail was built nearly 20 years ago with 16 beds. When Schaaf took office in 1993, he had an additional bunk placed in each cell, converted a workout room to a dormitory-style cell block that could hold six inmates and added a second bunk to a holding cell in the intake area, increasing the capacity to 40.

Sheriff Gary Schaaf discussed the need for expansion at the Perry County Sheriff's Department in Perryville on Wednesday. (Fred Lynch)

Last year the average number of inmates was 43, with the highest number being 63. "It is not uncommon to have all bunks full and inmates sleeping on a mattress on the floor in the cell blocks, the holding cell and the visiting room as well," said Capt. Wayne Craft. He added that the visiting room, which has two chairs and a telephone, was not designed to hold prisoners. "If they want to jump the jailer it would be real easy to do. They always could take the chair."

Increasing the capacity of holding cells is necessary to enhance security by creating a smaller inmate-to-staff ratio so inmates can be divided into smaller, more manageable units. Craft said minor and major offenders should be separated, as well as male and female prisoners, weekend lockups, those on suicide watch or prisoners waiting to be transported to a mental health facility or penitentiary.

Officials also hope the expansion will eliminate some of the contraband found in the jail.

Weekenders are the biggest source of contraband, he said. Another source of contraband is the outdoor recreation area, which is enclosed by high brick walls with barbed wire. People on the outside have been known to throw items over the walls.

The jail's flat roof allows water to build up and leak through the ceiling tiles onto the telephone and radio and through light fixtures. Schaaf said the roof needs to be redesigned for better drainage.

This multi-use room is used to hold the "weekenders" at the Perry County Sheriff's Department in Perryville. (Fred Lynch)

The four air conditioning and heating units are old and becoming costly to maintain, according to Schaaf. New units cost $10,000 to $12,000 each.

Only one of the 40 switches that indicate locked doors lights up on the jail's control panel. The unit is so outdated that parts are no longer available. A new control panel costs more than $100,000, plus installation.

Additionally, Schaaf said the architect who designed the jail didn't include an area to store equipment, supplies or records. A portion of the front lobby has been walled off for use as a storage closet, but the closet is overflowing.

Records that are a few years old have been stored in the basement of the Perry County Courthouse, an area susceptible to water seepage and flooding.

According to Craft, the jail staff also needs a room for meetings and training.

Jail inmates in C pod and D pod gathered in the common area where television is available at the Perry County Sheriff's Department in Perryville on Wednesday. (Fred Lynch)

"Tensions are getting high," said Craft, who has a 9 1/2-by-5 1/2-foot office. "Any addition at all would be appreciated," he said.

Schaaf says county residents' feedback about the proposal has been positive. "People realize I've been doing this a long time. They know that if I say we need something, we need it," he said.

Voters passed a similar tax to replace the jail in 1989 when prisoners were being held in an old retrofitted house. The tax was retired after the building was paid for.

tkrakowiak@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 137