Graham Jaehnig/ Faith Morrison, co-president of the LWVCC, provided a PowerPoint presentation at a public discussion at the Orpheum, in Hancock, on Monday, talking about the need for a new county jail and why one is needed.

Editor’s note: This is Part One of a series that examines the issues and concerns surrounding the county jail facility. Part II will examine proposed costs.

HANCOCK – Houghton County residents have few options for a new jail facility, but rejecting a new jail is not one of them. The Copper Country League of Women Voters Tuesday hosted a public discussion aimed at providing county residents with information prior to a special meeting of the Houghton County Board of Commissioners on April 15, when the finalist plans for the HoCo Jail will be formally presented to the public.

At Tuesday’s meeting, Faith Morrison offered a PowerPoint presentation to those attending. Morrison, co-president of the LWVCC, is a member of the large committee of community members and court/county stakeholders who have been working with the jail-designing experts from AbonmarcheByce and Securitechture, who are designing the jail project.

The jail originally opened in 1963 with a capacity of 28 beds, and houses the Sheriff’s Department law enforcement staff and offices, with storage and physician facilities on the lower floor.

The 1963 jail met county needs for only 18 years (needed updates, was overcrowded). In 1981 the jail was remodeled to add cell space, a work camp at the Houghton County Airport opened in 1991; Overcrowding persisted. Consistent overcrowding is just one issue facing the facility. Standards and standard requirements have changed drastically since the 1963 jail was built and later remodeled.

Morrison said the current jail is only in compliance with one of 14 categories in Michigan Department of Corrections Standards. Those deficiencies include cells lacking dayrooms; inadequate medical examination and treatment rooms, lack of multipurpose room and outdoor recreation, lack of inmate classification, non-existent program spaces, including detoxification cells. Further, the facility is completely lacking in juvenile facilities.

The jail is deficient in space, including beds, and much of the facility is non-compliant with the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA). Numerous spaces are non-compliant with current MDOC space standards. Because it is outdated, the jail is difficult for staff to operate it efficiently and safely:

Operational Evaluation:

• Linear Cell Block Configuration.

• Lack of Visual Monitoring from a Single Control Room

• Lack of Contiguous Department/Division Spaces.

• Limited Availability of Outdoor Recreation Due To Inclement Weather Conditions.

• Not enough beds or cell blocks to safely address classification/segregation of inmates and gender.

Currently, Houghton County’s jail is ranked the single worst facility of its kind in the state of Michigan. “So, here we are,” said Morrison. “Our jail is only compliant in one out of code in 14 areas. In 13 areas we are out of compliance.”

The Upper Peninsula Commission for Area Progress (UPCAP) released a U.P. Regional Jail and Facility Re-Use Study in January, 2010. The study

stated the Houghton County Jail does not comply with current Michigan Department of Correction standards, and poses serious liabilities for the county.

The report stated both the main jail and the work release center, located at the Houghton County Memorial Airport, were deficient in several areas, including overcrowding.

The study revealed that in spite of the additional facility at the airport, the number of housing units available for classifying and separating inmates is insufficient. Nearly half of the jail’s capacity (12 of 28 beds) is provided in two six-person dormitories. These large cells further limit the ability of jail personnel to classify and separate inmates.

Morrison said there are two questions: Can the current jail be updated and renovated, and save taxpayers some money, or is it absolutely necessary or wise to build a new facility.

While the jail passes its inspections annually, that is solely because no major renovations have been done to it, said Morrison.

“If you make large changes, you have to bring the whole thing up to code,” she said. “So, here we are in that situation. Our jail is out of code in 13 out of 14 areas, and that’s why we’re in the pickle that we’re in.”

County Board Commissioner Tom Tikkanen said this new jail has to happen.

“One day, the feds are going to shut this jail down just like they did in 1960,” Tikkanen said. “We’re going to have to build a new facility. We can either plan for it, be proactive – because the train’s coming down the track – we can either ignore it, or deal with it when it does arrive.”

Tikkanen said the conditions for the inmates are inadequate, adding: “And I’m being kind.”