Dutchess Jail: Proposed facility shrinks, millions in savings expected
John W. BarryWhen it was approved in March 2016, plans for the Dutchess County Justice and Transition Center called for the construction of a jail with 569 beds.
When it is completed, it may have half of that.
Dutchess County is revising its plans amid a shift in criminal justice practices that may result in far fewer inmates at the proposed jail, according to a release from County Executive Marc Molinaro.
But, he said, the smaller facility will save the county more than $8 million on construction costs and up to $2.5 million annually.
Construction on the proposed $154 million facility, which would replace Dutchess County Jail, was scheduled to begin at the end of the year, with the final design due this month.
The New York State Commission of Correction and the county agreed on pushing back its final design until the end of this year. However, Molinaro said the construction schedule is intact and the targeted completion date remains December 2023.
"We are grateful to the (state Commission of Correction) for allowing us to ‘pause’ in our timeline and redesign the Dutchess County Justice and Transition Center to reduce the size of the facility and save taxpayers millions of dollars,” Molinaro said in a statement.
The scaled back plan follows an analysis of the county’s jail population by the Dutchess County Criminal Justice Council; a review of the county’s alternatives to incarceration; and examination of bail reform, according to the release.
Original proposal
Dutchess was dealing with an overpopulation problem when it approved the new facility. While Dutchess County Jail can house 250 inmates, there were nearly 200 additional inmates being housed at out-of-county facilities at the time, at a cost of about $8 million annually. In mid-2015, the county instituted a temporary fix, installing pods to house some inmates in mid-2015.
Officials also argued the new facility would have an efficient design that would allow for an increase of the inmate-to-guard ratio and lead to as much as $5.3 million in operational savings.
The Transition Center was part of a larger, $192 million proposal that included the construction of the Law Enforcement Center now housing the Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office. That project, completed earlier this year, was finished under budget.
Though the project was approved by the legislature, it had its share of detractors. Some argued there may be a cheaper solution, and some said improved intervention to reduce the number of inmates would be the best way to solve overpopulation.
In the years since, the county has instituted such measures aimed at reducing population, such as opening its Stabilization Center, which offers mental health and substance abuse assistance any time of day, and its alternatives-to-incarceration program. The county in its release cited the success of these programs as a factor in scaling back its jail plan.
Shifting needs
Molinaro said the overpopulation problem may also be reduced with bail reform initiatives scheduled to go into effect on Jan. 1, 2020. Individuals charged with misdemeanors and non-violent felonies will no longer be sent to jail in most cases.
Most individuals in Dutchess County Jail now are awaiting trial. But under the new legislation, most would be issued appearance tickets instead of being sent to jail. The current jail population averages roughly 350 inmates on a daily basis.
Accordingly, the plan for the jail has already been reduced, and may be changed again. The current plan includes 384 beds, 100 beds from the existing jail and 35 medical or mental health beds.
But, that total may be reduced by another 100 beds, the county said. The plan would:
- Remove two housing units from the proposed fifth floor of the Transition Center;
- Cease using the existing jail’s 100 beds for inmate housing;
- Use the existing jail for administrative functions, correction officers’ facilities, metal health beds and transitional housing.
Comptroller Robin Lois supported the reduced plan in the release from the county.
“As someone who has always been concerned about the vast scale of the Jail project, I am optimistic that a smaller initial design will allow the county to more accurately assess its future needs,” she said. “Having the flexibility to adjust to potential changes in the jail population, with the ability to utilize the 1995 building as a safety valve, is a very important factor. This new approach also allows the county the time to continue to invest in our alternatives to incarceration programs that are proving to be successful, while assessing the effects of recently passed legislation on bail reform.”
John W. Barry: jobarry@poughkeepsiejournal.com, 845-437-4822, Twitter: @JohnBarryPoJo
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EDITORIAL: Dutchess County Jail
DUTCHESS LAW ENFORCEMENT CENTER: Modernization for sheriff's offices