Scott County's new jail gets first prisoners

A nice, new jail cell probably offers little solace to a new inmate, but the opening of the new Scott County Jail is good news for the rest of the community.

After a long and arduous process, the new $4.8 million jail opened last week. The old jail is empty, and it's only a matter of time until the county's prisoners being housed in other counties can be moved to the new jail in Benton, Mo.

There are still problems, including some glitches with the sewers and plumbing, but those are details that will get worked out. There also is still a shortage in manpower.

But the old jail was no longer usable. The 71-year-old, 48-bed jail that officials called an undersized and underequipped facility was draining the county's budget while failing to meet basic needs like cell size, enough cells for female prisoners and adequate kitchen size.

New jails may be reminders of society's criminal element, but they are a necessity.

Sheriff Bill Ferrell says the new jail is still a long way off from being fully operational, but moving prisoners into the new facility is a good step.