Officials: Arapahoe County Jail Is Crumbling
CENTENNIAL, Colo. (CBS4)- Cramped conditions and a deteriorating building has Arapahoe County asking residents for a tax increase so they can build a new jail. The current facility is one of the oldest in the Metro-Denver area and has become the County's number one priority with a price tag above $400 million.
"We're at a point now where the infrastructure in this facility is failing and we're continuing to throw good money at bad problems that we just continue to chase," said Arapahoe County Sheriff Tyler Brown.
The sheriff's office says plumbing is an issue on a daily basis for the three-decade old building.
"Just a few weeks ago we had two different day rooms, or two different living spaces inside the facility that had raw sewage backing up into them," said Deputy Chief Vince Line. "We also have leaking and water in spaces in the building that's not related to plumbing."
The facility was built in the mid-80s with the intention of having one inmate in each cell. As the county's population has exploded so has the inmate count. Triple-bunking started about a decade ago.
"We've made the lifespan of this jail accelerate because we've put so many extra people inside of it," said Brown.
"We don't think Arapahoe County needs a new jail adding 150 new beds that it does not need," said Denise Maes with ACLU Colorado. "Sixty-two percent of their jail population is pre-trial, meaning they are innocent and some of them shouldn't be in the jail at all."
Several criminal justice reform groups have come out opposing the plans for a new jail.
"We have no problem doing the necessary fixes to grade that jail. but that's not what they're doing, they're building a bigger jail. They would best use that money for mental health services, for substance abuse services. and those are not services that should be provided while people are in cages," said Maes.
At a time when services and treatment are becoming more popular, the Arapahoe County jail has only one classroom for inmates.
"Beyond the basic needs, we have very limited ability to provide them additional classes. Life skills classes, GED classes, mental health classes," Line said.
On average, the cost per home in Arapahoe County would be about $68 a year if the tax increase is improved.
Plans for the new jail include an emphasis on expanding programing for mental health and education. The sheriff believes a new space could make the community safer by reducing recidivism.
"We've moved away from just warehousing individuals and we've really looked into treatment and how to improve people's situations," Brown said. "I think we have an opportunity here to tap into brand new philosophies, brand new technologies. And really give people the opportunity to be better off when they return to our communities than they are when they come to jail," Brown said.