SOLID PLAN FOR NEW COUNTY JAIL

Last week, Cape Girardeau's sheriff and presiding commissioner were on the stump promoting the new jail that is in the works. Speaking at the Jackson Rotary Club, the two officials reviewed both the need for the new facility and the financing for it.

When the current jail was completed in 1979, there were usually 20 to 30 prisoners there. The capacity of the jail allowed for more than doubling that, but in fact the prisoner population has grown to more than 100 a day in under 10 years. One result of this has been an expense to the county for housing prisoners at other jails to the tune of $150,000 over the past three years.

Thanks to the need for jail facilities that meet standards to house federal prisoners, but new Cape Girardeau County Jail is getting a financial boost from the U.S. government. Already the county has been awarded a $1.5 million grant from the U.S. Marshal's service, and the federal government will pay the county for keeping its prisoners when needed.

Overall, the new jail can be built without a bond issue or without dipping into the county's reserves. And the cost of the jail will eventually be recouped from payments for housing federal prisoners.