Hinds County leaders broke ground Monday on a new detention center to replace the troubled Raymond jail, which faces a possible federal takeover.County leaders hope the step forward will impress federal authorities and stop a threatened takeover of the Raymond Detention Center after years of litigation over serious safety concerns for detainees and detention officers.”It just shows that there is some progress being made as it relates to the current consent decree and the injunction we are currently operating under with the Department of Justice,” said Sheriff Tyree Jones.Some supervisors who support the project said they don’t know how the county will pay for the new detention center. The price tag to construct the facility on McDowell Road is $125 million. The first phase will cost $65 million. Right now, the county has only $12 million on hand.”You wouldn’t be able to go buy a house today and not know how you’re going to pay for it,” said Supervisor Robert Graham. “We need to have some better idea as to how we’re going to pay for it, as opposed to hoping the federal government is going to give us the money.””We’ve already worked it out. We know where the funds are,” said Board of Supervisors president Credell Calhoun. “The second and third phases are the part that we don’t know yet.”Phase one of the construction could take two years. Some supervisors believe record inflation could drive building costs even higher.
Hinds County leaders broke ground Monday on a new detention center to replace the troubled Raymond jail, which faces a possible federal takeover.
County leaders hope the step forward will impress federal authorities and stop a threatened takeover of the Raymond Detention Center after years of litigation over serious safety concerns for detainees and detention officers.
“It just shows that there is some progress being made as it relates to the current consent decree and the injunction we are currently operating under with the Department of Justice,” said Sheriff Tyree Jones.
Some supervisors who support the project said they don’t know how the county will pay for the new detention center. The price tag to construct the facility on McDowell Road is $125 million. The first phase will cost $65 million. Right now, the county has only $12 million on hand.
“You wouldn’t be able to go buy a house today and not know how you’re going to pay for it,” said Supervisor Robert Graham. “We need to have some better idea as to how we’re going to pay for it, as opposed to hoping the federal government is going to give us the money.”
“We’ve already worked it out. We know where the funds are,” said Board of Supervisors president Credell Calhoun. “The second and third phases are the part that we don’t know yet.”
Phase one of the construction could take two years. Some supervisors believe record inflation could drive building costs even higher.
