Graham Jaehnig/Daily Mining Gazette The county jail is of a linear design, making proper inmate monitoring difficult, placing both inmates and duty officers at safety risk.

HOUGHTON — The future of the Houghton County jail could soon become a bit clearer. The Houghton County Board of Commissioner will hold a special meet at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, April 15, in the Houghton County Circuit Courtroom. The meeting will be in regards to designs under consideration for the construction of a new county jail. If approved by the County Board, there will be a proposed millage request to fund the construction of the selected design. County officials have been advocating for a new jail for more than two decades, arguing it is a liability to the county.

The jail is not in compliance with current Michigan Dept. of Corrections (MDOC) regulations and jail standards, leaving the county vulnerable to actions and the risk of the federal government closing the jail. Additionally, the jail’s deficiencies also leave the county vulnerable to lawsuits filed by jail inmates, something County Board Trustee Tom Tikkanen said happens more frequently than people know.

“It doesn’t get a lot publicity, but there are lawsuits from inmates suing the county. We’re in the midst of one right now,” Tikkanen said. “So, this is not a step from fiction, it’s a failing facility. That’s why they build new schools once in a while.”

If any number of inmates of the jail decided to file a class-action lawsuit against the county for any of the facility’s deficiency’s the potential settlement could far exceed the cost of a new jail.

“All I can do is suggest we’d be in a world of hurt,” said Tikkanen.

When the Houghton County Jail was built in 1963, it was compliant with current Michigan codes and standards. Since it opened 61 years ago, the Michigan Department of Corrections has continually updated codes and standards for jails, but lacking funds, the county has not been able to keep pace with changing and increasing state regulations. In addition, over the years, the Michigan legislature has mandated increased jail time for convictions, while at the same time increasing the number of arrestable offenses. Like communities across the U.S., the Upper Peninsula, including Houghton County, has seen an increase in serious cases, often resulting in felony charges.

Faith Morrison is co-president of the Copper Country League of Women Voters and a member of the large committee that has been working with jail-design experts from AbonmarcheByce and Securitechture, who are designing a new jail.

“When the team of our consultants came and looked at the jail,” she said, “they looked at things that are addressed by the Michigan Dept. of Corrections for regulations on operating county jails across the state.”

Among the deficiencies found is that the jail has no detoxification cells, which are required by Michigan law.

“We have an issue with people who have addiction issues, mental health issues,” said Morrison. “If people come into the Sheriff’s custody when they are under the influence of something, they have to be able to detox and we do not have adequate facilities.”

“We don’t have compliant space for processing. We have difficulties with the security garage, the dayrooms, duty officer stations. Repeated assertions that the jail is “too small” contains a number of components.

Morrison said the current jail has 28 beds, but recommendations are a jail with 51, which partially explains a near constant overcrowding at the jail, limiting mandated space for inmates. Many spaces are too small and are non-ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliant.

The multiple occupancy statute (MCLA 791.262c) requires cells to provide 52 square feet of sleeping area per inmate, along with additional day room space, prison-type water closets, lavatories, drinking fountains, metal beds, tables, seats, and mirrors.

Deficiencies were also pointed out from an operations standpoint, Morrison said.

When it was built, the jail was linear, meaning the structure has long corridors with cells lining the walls, often resulting in intermittent or indirect surveillance of inmates.

“For the people who are confined at the far end of the jail,” said Morrison, “in order for the officer who is overseeing the confinement, they have to walk down the hallway, take a look to see what’s happening and walk back all the way.” “They can’t stand in a central area and see what’s going on in the all the proper holding areas.”

The lack of visual monitoring from a higher elevation, where the duty officer can visually monitor inmates is completely lacking, she said.

“On a scale of 0 to 10,” said Morrison, “we ranked 3 for the overall condition of our jail.”