COUNTY JAIL OVER CAPACITY

JACKSON -- The population of the Cape Girardeau County Jail has crept well above its outer limit and shows no sign of dropping soon.

"It's one of those things that has steadily crept up and stayed up," said Cape County Sheriff John Jordan.

As of Monday afternoon the jail population was listed at 80, although 73 prisoners were actually in residence at the facility. The jail was designed to house up to 54 prisoners.

"We can push 64 and be in pretty good shape," Jordan said. "Once we get over that we really should house outside, but due to budget constraints we haven't been able to do that."

Instead of shipping prisoners off to other jails when they hit the 64 mark, prisoners are now farmed out when the population hits the 70s. Currently seven Cape County prisoners are being housed elsewhere.

"When we hit close to 70, you almost have to because then you're starting to put people on the floor," Jordan said.

Earlier this year the population hit a high of 101 prisoners.

"It's like an animal house when that happens," Jordan said.

Overcrowding can lead to control problems. "If we're up around 70 and get hit with 10 or 15 from Cape PD on a weekend -- which can happen -- this place is rocking with 85 prisoners," Jordan said.

An incident of rowdiness last week led to a weeklong administrative lockdown of the cellblock containing the jail's most dangerous occupants.

During visitation Aug. 13, the prisoners became disruptive and ignored orders to calm down. Jail officials eventually canceled visitation and ordered a lockdown, an order the prisoners ignored. Officers from the Jackson Police Department as well as the Missouri Highway Patrol were called in to assist county deputies in forcing the prisoners to comply.

After order was restored, the prisoners were put on 24-hour lockdown as punishment. That order was lifted Saturday.