The compromise jail consolidation plan was approved at the general County Board meeting this past month (video, agenda packet). For other County government updates for November, click here. WCIA had a basic overview and some perspectives here. Excerpt:
The two Champaign County jails will soon be consolidated into one facility.
The vote on the $20 million proposal came after about two hours of heated debate at the Champaign County Board meeting Thursday night...
Here’s what was approved Thursday: A plan to close the downtown jail and add two new pods onto the satellite jail. One will be a designated special needs pod, allowing for separation of rival offenders and preventing COVID-19 spread, among other purposes.
That full article with video segment here. The News-Gazette also had coverage of the approval after the vote:
In voting to move ahead late Thursday, the board also approved funding for the project — $5 million from the county’s allocation of funds from the federal coronavirus relief bill passed in March, $13 million in revenue bonds to be repaid over 20 years and the rest in capital funding.
About a dozen speakers argued against the jail project and the use of some of the county’s federal funds for jail construction.
While Heuerman said the jail population has been rising due to violence in the community, some speakers expressed the belief that the jail population has been declining. Some urged the county to put more money into community programs to reduce crime and to wait to see the impact of a state law ending cash bail that is set to take effect in 2023.
Housing prisoners out of county not only costs the county money, Heuerman said, but also makes it more difficult for those prisoners to meet with their attorneys and for their families to visit them.
That full article here. The News-Gazette editorial board had an opinion generally supporting the compromise plan as necessary here.
Previous recent Cheat Sheet posts have pointed out the debate of using federal ARPA funds for the Jail as opposed to limiting their use to programs that could address community needs. Some activists argue that such investment may alleviate pressure to jail as many people locally. Links:
- November 4th October County Roundup post: includes links and information on jail facilities meetings.
- October 10th Jail Updates post: includes recent discussions on funding the jail consolidation plan.
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