COUNTY JAIL PLAN MAKES TOOD SENSE

As Missouri's attorney general, Jay Nixon, observed during a visit to Cape Girardeau this week, the state's swelling prison population must be viewed along with the declining statistics for major crime. For Nixon and most supporters of stiff, mandatory prison sentences, there is a direct correlation. The same can be said for the sharp increase in the number of prisoners at the Cape Girardeau County Jail over the past three or four years.

Sterner sentences are just one reason for the fact that there are, on average, about 100 prisoners in the county jail, which opened in 1979 with space for 64 prisoners. By adding bunk beds, the capacity has been increased to 80 prisoners, but today's numbers far outstrip that capacity. In addition to tougher sentences, the county jail also must deal with federal prisoners who are sent here for trial and other court proceedings at the federal courthouse in Cape Girardeau. And the county also must provide housing for inmates from state prisons who come back to this county for appeals and other legal options.

As a result of the pressure on the jail's limits, two things have happened. One is that the county is looking to other facilities -- the city jail and jails in nearby counties -- for temporary housing. The cost of this is projected to reach nearly a quarter of a million dollars this year. Another byproduct of the crowded jail is a move that has been under way for several months to expand the jail.

Building a jail is a costly proposition. Today's jails must not only be secure enough to hold the very worst inmate, but they also rely heavily on technology -- which can be costly -- to monitor prisoners and provide the utmost safety for both inmates and their keepers.

A county advisory committee is still working on final plans, but the goal is to add on to the existing jail in Jackson, providing 152 additional beds. Projections show the combined 232-prisoner capacity should meet the county's needs for several years to come.

The good news for law-abiding county residents is that the addition can be built without an increase in taxes. Further good news is that the jail will become a revenue producer for the county by housing federal prisoners. The U.S. Marshals Service compensates the county whenever these prisoners must stay here. That revenue will be used to pay off bonds issued to pay for the addition to the jail. In addition, the marshals service has obtained a $1.5 million grant to help pay for the addition, which is expected to cost in the neighborhood of $5 million.

All in all, Sheriff John Jordan, the county commission and the special advisory committee have come up with a good plan that is sound both from a planning perspective and from a financial point of view.

Barring any unforeseen barriers, the expanded jail should be operating in about two years. This will mark another milestone in battling crime in the county.