The Crook County Sheriff’s Office is scrambling struggles to find a solution to capacity problems.
PRINEVILLE, OR – Crook County officials are looking for more jail space as convicted criminals are released early due to overcrowding.
Just last week, 14 inmates were released early, among them people charged with drug offenses and burglaries. Crook County Sheriff Jim Hensley said he has a waiting list of 120 people the jail can’t hold. The jail consists of 16 beds in a tiny space attached to the city police building. In addition, the county also regularly rents 16 jail beds from neighboring Jefferson County.
County voters have a history of rejecting jail levies, but Hensley said the chronic shortage of space is growing worse.
Hensley said criminals have become bolder, knowing the odds are against jail time, or even that they’ll suffer if they ignore some sentences that doesn’t include jail.
“If they don’t show up for community service, the only recourse is jail,” Hensley said. “We don’t have any jail space.”
Crook County is looking at converting an old hospital to a jail and justice center or building a new facility. Town meetings are being planned to address the issue, which Hensley estimates could cost from $5 million to $13 million.
