There are still plenty of lingering questions now that it appears Jamesville Correctional Facility will close. The plan approved by Onondaga County lawmakers Tuesday will transfer officers and inmates to the justice center downtown. That could present new challenges regarding any shifts in jail population.
One of the biggest questions stems from concerns about capacity at the justice center after it absorbs the additional inmates. Sheriff Toby Shelley told county lawmakers before Tuesday’s vote that there could be more inmates if governor and state lawmakers continue to tweak bail reform.
"Those changes will probably affect our population in the jail by 10 percent, putting our jails in an overpopulation situation," Shelley said. "Why would we make this decision before bail reform takes its course?"
Shelley and others have also warned that the justice center doesn’t have the space to properly accommodate female inmates or others who might need to be separated from the rest of the population for any number of reasons.
But there appears to be little appetite outside of the sheriff’s office to reopen Jamesville in the future in case of overcrowding. County executive Ryan McMahon says there are other ways to handle increases in jail population, including building an addition to the justice center.
"In the event that there's a shift in public policy, where all of a sudden we're seeing challenges to the population, a fourth tower will be constructed to address that issue," McMahon said. "It is cheaper for us to do that than keep Jamesville open."
It currently costs about $20 million in local funding to operate Jamesville. McMahon says it’s also cheaper to temporarily send inmates to neighboring counties.
As for the Jamesville buildings and property, McMahon’s office has not said what might be in the works. That’s leading to speculation among lawmakers, critics, and others about possible ulterior motives behind the closing, including future development of the large parcel of county land. County lawmakers did approve a one-year moratorium on the disposition of Jamesville.