Mitzelfelt’s ‘Jail-Expansion Expansion’ Approved

Filed Under In The News | Comments Off

“Adelanto jail to house more inmates”, from the Daily Press, July 11, 2007; By Ryan Orr, Staff Writer… SAN BERNARDINO – A hundred people are released each day in San Bernardino County who should be held in custody for their crimes. The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved a proposal by 1st District Supervisor Brad Mitzelfelt to expand the Adelanto Detention Center to hold 456 more inmates than were in the original expansion plans.

Currently, the jail has a 706-inmate capacity; the original plans for the expansion would have raised the capacity to 1,618. The $535,000 for increased design costs approved by the supervisors would provide for a total capacity of 2,074. “It’ll be great,” said Glen Pratt, deputy chief in charge of corrections. “It will help us keep more inmates that should be in custody.”

The plans would add a new building for housing the 456 inmates with a price tag of $40 million. The increased construction costs associated with the expansion, such as a larger kitchen, laundry service and support staff is estimated a $25 million, bringing the total cost of the expansion to $151 million.

The county has been setting aside $7 million a year for the past few years for jail expansion, said David Zook, spokesman for Mitzelfelt. He said by the time construction gets under way the county should have the $25 million already stowed away.

“Jail overcrowding has forced our sheriff to release inmates early,” said Mitzelfelt. “This expansion will keep deputies on the streets and criminals off the streets.”

The expansion will include an inmate services building for booking, holding and medical screening. That, combined with a video arraignment area, will significantly decrease the time deputies spend transporting inmates to West Valley Detention Center to be booked or to court to be arraigned, leaving more time for them to patrol High Desert streets.

Ryan Orr may be reached at 951-6277 or rorr@vvdailypress.com.

Link to online article:
http://www.vvdailypress.com/news/expansion_1805___article.html/inmates_million.html