Public and Staff Safety

Safety is compromised every time inmates are taken to court or transferred to other counties for housing as deputies are diverted from their primary duty of protecting the community. These transfers reduce law enforcement presence on the roads, impacting overall public safety.

 

From a design standpoint, the linear layout of the jail provides restricted view to the inmates which creates increased potential for inmate and staff assaults due to limited visibility. Poor visibility associated with linear design also creates an opportunity for contraband smuggling, security vulnerabilities, and operational inefficiencies. Learn more about podular vs. linear design. 

 

Additionally, taking inmates to the courtroom that is located across the parking lot presents significant safety concerns. The only route to the third-floor courtroom requires escorting inmates through the jail, across the parking lot, and taking a public elevator, placing both deputies and the public in close proximity to potentially dangerous individuals. Furthermore, the absence of secure corridors between booking, the jail, and the courtroom forces inmates to move through general areas, increasing the risk of injuries, escapes, and potential liability for Walsh County.

​

Inmate Safety

Overcrowded cells and lack of privacy heighten stress levels, increasing the likelihood of conflicts and aggressive behavior. This poses a risk to both staff and fellow inmates.

​​

Other Safety Risks

• Due to limited jail capacity and associated costs, some individuals are not being incarcerated, while others serve only a fraction of their sentence (e.g., a two-year sentence reduced to just 17 days). Both scenarios pose significant safety risks to the community.

• The booking space is a major pass-through area when moving inmates, causing potential security and safety issues.

• The facility lacks a disciplinary cell for disruptive inmates, increasing the risk of injury to staff, other inmates, and the individual in distress.

• Staff must often enter cells for routine safety checks, exposing them to potential harm.

• There are no secure perimeters that provide easy access to electrical, mechanical, and plumbing systems so inmates often need to be moved from cells so contractors can enter when systems need maintenance.

• There is no dedicated, secure area for ministers to meet with inmates, forcing face-to-face interactions in cells or the sally port without separation.

• When medical attention is needed, an ambulance can't pull into the sally port which poses a potential risk as the secure and controlled access environment between the inmate and jail is removed.

• The facility sewer system is not functioning properly, allowing sewage to back up through floor drains and adjacent toilets. This is causing contamination events requiring human waste cleanup and disposal / unsanitary conditions.

• Inadequate ventilation heightens the risk of illness and the spread of communicable diseases among staff and inmates.

• The absence of negative pressure cells makes it impossible to isolate contagious inmates, increasing the potential for disease transmission.

• Outdated security system poses serious risks, including increased chances of inmate escapes, contraband smuggling, and violence due to malfunctioning surveillance, access control failures, and poor alarm response times. Upgrading security ensures staff safety, maintains order, and enhances overall facility effectiveness.

• Outdated cell locks impact response time to an emergency.

​