NEW JAIL FILLS GROWING NEED IN CAPE COUNTY

Little wonder Cape Girardeau County's sheriff, John Jordan, strolls through the county's new Justice Center like a proud papa.

Elected in 1994 and in area law enforcement for 14 years before running for public office, Jordan almost immediately began arguing for a new jail. He pointed to crowding and a need for daily lockdowns because of inmates' rowdiness.

The old county jail was built in 1979 to hold 64 inmates. In 1995, Cape County had to house about 74 inmates a day. With growth in population and an accompanying growth in crime -- along with stiffer mandated penalties -- that number is up to 85 or 90 prisoners a day with spikes of up to 142. That means the county must play a sort of inmate musical chairs, transferring them to other county jails as space becomes available and paying around $30 per day per inmate for the privilege.

With that in mind, Jordan and the county commission set out to solve all those problems. The result is an incredibly well-thought-out facility.

The new $8 million justice center can hold as many as 152 inmates at once. The sheriff's office and a Missouri Highway Patrol office are on the first floor. The two-tiered jail is on the second floor. And the third floor is open for expansion and could be made into a courtroom. The structure can hold a fourth floor if necessary.

In addition, the equipment is state of the art.

There are no bars, just electronically controlled metal doors.

The ceiling and floor of the cell areas are reinforced with concrete.

Inmates will be divided into more easily controlled pods.

The accused won't have to travel to the courthouse for brief, initial court appearances, they'll do it by closed-circuit television.

But perhaps the best part is that the jail will practically pay for itself.

Construction bond payments are $450,000 annually. The county could make up to $665,000 annually by housing federal prisoners. Of course, with added utility costs -- an estimated extra $40,000 a year -- and expenses for hiring more workers, it's unlikely the jail will be a money-making investment.

After inmates are transferred to the new facility at the end of January, the old jail could be used as an emergency operations center.

With our fiscally conservative county commission, all Cape County residents can be assured that not a square inch will go to waste. And Sheriff Jordan deserves praise for leading the charge for this fine new jail.