Published: May 13, 2008 10:53 am            

HENDERSON COUNTY JAIL EXPANSION: A look from behind the walls

Officials offer glimpse at jail expansion project

If entering the Henderson County Jail addition gives you a feeling of confinement, well, good. That’s the intent.

Behind the bars is a maze of long corridors, stark dorms and security cameras. Upstairs are miles of electrical cable and duct work. Henderson County Sheriff’s Asst. Chief Deputy Tony Allison said it’s like a self contained small town, complete with food service, laundry, water and its own waste removal system.

Last Thursday, Allison gave a tour through the facility, pointing out the highlights along the way. A noticeable difference between the 308-bed addition and the existing jail, he said, is the bars.

“They remind people they are in jail,” Allison said. “There’s something about the effect of them closing behind you.”

Allison said jail design is an ever-changing art form.

“The designers learn from the mistakes of the past and correct them,” Allison said. “The prisoners are always trying to find soft spots. They find a weakness and we fix it.”

Along the way is evidence the facility will soon be busy with prisoners. Equipment in the expansive kitchen, large metal washing machines in the laundry and stacks of mattresses have arrived in preparation for the day the first inmates move in.

While the official opening date for the expansion hasn’t been determined, county officials are eyeing an early June completion date.

“We’re starting to get the materials in we’re going to need to function. We’re also making use of existing equipment from the old jail as much as possible,” Allison said.

Along both sides of the passageway are a total of 14 isolation cells for prisoners who must be removed from the general population. Inside each cell is a sink, toilet and a bed. One of the cells was fitted with a bar and other necessities needed to house a handicapped prisoner.

“They meet the bare minimum state requirements,” Allison said.

The jail is divided into clusters called pods which house 48 prisoners each. The guard’s station is equipped with a video security camera with a 360-degree panoramic view of the cells. Food trays are passed to the prisoners through an opening in the door. The “bean hole” stays locked except for meal times.

The water pipes and air ducts all feed from the second floor, leaving all of the first floor space for jail operations.

“It also keeps a minimum of maintenance people from coming into the jail. That helps with security,” Allison said.

While Allison walked through the new facility, County Judge David Holstein and Pct. 4 Commissioner Jerry West met with Architect Kenny Burns and officials of Templeton Construction about hurdles that must be cleared to get the new portion of the jail ready for inspection by the Texas Commission on Jail Standards.

Holstein said he hopes to give the public an opportunity to view the new section of the jail before the state inspection.

“I envision it being something along the lines of the ribbon cutting we had at the ground breaking, with the whole thing lasting a couple or hours,” Holstein said.

        

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