CSG Report: Contents and Executive Summary

CSG Consultants (CSG), a Division of The Facility Group, was retained by Neumann Monson PC (architects) to provide an inmate population projection report and program recommendations for the Johnson County Jail. Consulting services included:

l An assessment of the facility's current and future space needs, and options to meet those needs;

l Development of an architectural program of space requirements; and

l Assist with the development of a schematic design for facility expansion.

This report represents the results of that effort. The report is organized as follows:

l Section I — Trends in Johnson County — examines certain historical trends that affect the County's needs for jail beds, including the County's growing population, criminal caseload, jail bookings, and the jail's average daily population.

l Section II — Inmate Population Projections — provides an estimate of the number of inmates needed by Johnson County over the next ten years, and the number of jail beds needed to support the County's projected inmate population.

l Section III — Johnson County Jail — describes the County's current jail facility, its limited capacity, and some of the building's design problems.

l Section IV — Space Needs — outlines the specific space requirements for expanding the existing facility.

l Section V — Conclusion — provides final comments and recommendations.

The following is a brief overview of the findings in each section.

Trends in Johnson County

Total County Population — The population of Johnson County has grown steadily since 1970, and is projected to continue to increase through the year 2020. The County's population has increased from 72,127 in 1970, to 81,717 in 1980, to 96,119 in 1990. Current projections estimate that the County's population will reach 108,140 by the year 2000, 121,790 by 2010, and 136,550 by 2020.

Criminal Caseload — The County's criminal caseload has increased steadily and significantly since 1982. The number of criminal case filings in Johnson County has quadrupled during this period, from 1,146 cases in 1982 to 4,640 cases in 1998. This represents an average rate of growth of almost ten percent a year during this period.

Jail Bookings — The number of bookings at the Johnson County Jail has increased steadily and significantly since FY 1982. The number of bookings has more than quadrupled during this period, from 1,580 bookings in FY 1982 to 7,087 bookings in FY 1998. This represents an average rate of growth of almost ten percent a year during this period.

Jail Average Daily Population — The average daily population (ADP) at the Johnson County Jail has increased steadily and significantly since 1981. The jail population has more than tripled during this period, from an ADP of 25.4 inmates in 1981 to an ADP of 94.1 inmates during the first three-quarters of 1999. This represents an average rate of growth of over eight percent a year during this period.

Inmate Population Projections

Baseline ADP Projections — Four sets of inmate population projections were developed for planning purposes, using four different forecasting models. The results of Model #1 were based on the County's jail population trend from 1981 - 1999, and were used to establish the low end of the projection range. The results of Model #2 were based on the County's jail population trend from 1993 - 1999, and were used to establish the high end of the projection range. The midpoint of Models #1 and #2 was used as the baseline ADP forecast for planning purposes.

According to this baseline forecast, it is estimated that Johnson County will have an average daily population of:

l 111 inmates within five years (i.e., by 2004);

l 136 inmates within ten years (i.e., by 2009);

l 161 inmates within 15 years (i.e., by 2014); and

l 185 inmates within 20 years (i.e., by 2019).

Facility Capacity Requirements — To determine the total number of jail beds needed by Johnson County, two factors were then applied to the baseline ADP projections. A peaking factor of 25 percent was applied to the baseline forecast to accommodate routine fluctuations above the ADP. A classification factor of 10 percent was then applied in order to ensure sufficient jail capacity for inmate classification and management purposes.

By applying these two factors to the baseline ADP forecast, it is estimated that Johnson County will need a total of:

l 153 jail beds within five years (i.e., by 2004);

l 187 jail beds within ten years (i.e., by 2009);

l 221 jail beds within 15 years (i.e., by 2014); and

l 255 jail beds within 20 years (i.e., by 2019).

Johnson County Jail

The Johnson County Sheriff's Department and Jail was opened in 1981. The Sheriff's Department and Civil Defense is located on the first floor, and the jail is located on the second floor.

The jail was designed with a total of 46 cells, each of which has had a second bunk added, providing a total of 92 jail beds. The cells are divided into nine separate housing areas (or "blocks"). The cells are arranged in a linear fashion along the exterior walls. Each cellblock has its own small dayroom.

All other jail functions and support services are accommodated in the center area of the jail, between the cellblocks on the exterior walls. This area includes a small booking area, inmate property storage, three temporary holding cells, a control station, visitation, an exercise area, library, kitchen, laundry, conference room, and office space.

There are four major problems with the design of the County's existing jail facility, all of which are made worse by the current crowded conditions. These problems include:

l Insufficient inmate housing;

l Inadequate space for intake and release;

l Inadequate space for inmate programs, activities, and support services; and

l Lack of visibility into the inmate housing areas.

The facility was designed with only 46 cells. Even with every cell double-bunked (i.e., 92 beds), the County's inmate population has exceeded the facility's capacity for the past year, and the population continues to grow.

The crowded conditions caused by the lack of inmate housing causes a number of serious operational problems. One major problem is the inability to separate and segregate different types of inmates. Inmates should be classified and housed according to their risk level and security requirements. Single cells should be used for certain types of inmates, including those requiring maximum security and those who need to be segregated for disciplinary or administrative purposes. But because of the crowded conditions at the Johnson County Jail, single cells are essentially not available, which means that these inmates must be mixed with other general population inmates.

The intake and release area is grossly undersized, even for the facility's original design capacity. It should also be kept in mind that the number of bookings at the jail has more than quadrupled since the facility opened in 1981. The facility's visitation area, indoor exercise area, and programs area are also all undersized, even for the facility's original design capacity. Both the kitchen and the laundry areas are strained by the facility's current population.

Space Needs

A space program was developed for (1) the Sheriff's Department, (2) the Jail, and (3) the common areas shared by both. Each of these areas is then broken down into its functional components. The program provides a "ballpark" estimate of the space requirements for a new Sheriff's Department and a Jail with approximately 236 cells. It is estimated that such a facility would involve a building with approximately 101,999 gross square feet.

The program presented here should be considered as a preliminary estimate. Programming a new jail facility is an extensive effort, and requires numerous discussions and decisions regarding how each functional component should be designed and operated. While a significant amount of refinement may occur, it is believed that the program outlined in this report generally identifies the size and scope of a facility that would meet the County's current and projected needs.

Conclusion

There are few, if any, areas of the existing Sheriff's Department and Jail that do not have need for additional space. The needs of the Sheriff's Department have grown significantly since the facility was built, and the lack of adequate space makes for a cumbersome operation. The space needs and design problems of the jail are even more critical, and creates significant concerns for the safety and security of both inmates and staff. The facility is being operated well beyond its design capacity, and the needs of the jail have risen to such a level that the County must do something.

As part of this project, a number of facility options have been considered and discussed, including the following.

Construction / Expansion Options

Option 1 — Expand the existing facility.

Option 2 — Construct a new Sheriff's Department and Jail on a new site.

Option 3 — Establish a separate minimum-security work release facility.

Option 4 — Construct a satellite facility and continue to use the existing facility.

Option 1 — expanding the existing facility — was explored in detail because the existing facility is a relatively new building, and is located in close proximity to the county courthouse. A plan was developed to expand the facility by constructing an addition onto both the north and south ends of the building. The expansion included additional space for the Sheriff's Department, and a new intake and release area, additional inmate housing, a new kitchen and laundry, and additional visitation and program space for the jail. The plan requires the acquisition of some additional surrounding property, which may or may not be feasible. The size of the expansion is also a concern, in that the expansion will be larger than the existing building, and further expansion in the future may be precluded. Construction on both ends of the building could also seriously disrupt the facility's day-to-day operations.

Option 2 — constructing a new Sheriff's Department and Jail on a new site — is attractive for several reasons, but would also involve the highest construction costs. The option would allow the jail to be properly designed according to modern jail standards, and could be designed for future expansion. Another major advantage of this option over Option 1 is that the new facility could be planned and constructed without disrupting the operation of the current facility.

Option 3 — establishing a separate minimum-security work release facility — and Option 4 — constructing a satellite facility — would both involve the continued utilization of the existing facility, and would require staffing two separate facilities, instead of one. Beyond the staffing inefficiencies, the existing jail is simply no longer adequate to serve as the County's primary jail facility.

It is suggested that the existing facility has served the County well for almost 20 years, and it must continue to serve the County for the next few years. However, the County's needs have grown significantly during this period, and the facility has simply outlived its useful life. Site constraints make expansion difficult, if not impossible, and further expansion may not be feasible in the future.

Our recommendation is that the County should immediately begin the planning and design process for a new Sheriff's Department and Jail. This process will provide more detailed and more accurate information regarding construction costs, staffing requirements, operating costs, and a project schedule so the County will know how long it must continue to keep the existing facility operational.

In making this recommendation for a new facility, it is recognized that what is being proposed will be costly, and that the average citizen has little sympathy for bad or crowded jail conditions. Jails are not supposed to be nice, and are not supposed to be a pleasant place to stay. But the existing facility is crowded, dangerous, and cannot meet minimum jail standards. The building is part of the problem — not part of the solution.

I. Trends in Johnson County