The future of Onondaga County’s Jamesville Correctional Center remains in limbo after a judge dismissed a case that challenged plans to close it. Sheriff Toby Shelley says he's filed an appeal based on public safety concerns.
The closure would essentially merge Jamesville’s inmates and workforce with the downtown Justice Center. Shelley says more than a year after it was first proposed, he has the numbers to prove such a move wouldn’t be safe.
“Our back is against the wall," Shelley said. "Public safety wise, I cannot agree to this because it doesn't work. I can prove it's not going to work if our population continues to trend [higher]. A fourth tower is not going to fix the issue because they keep talking about that.”
An addition to the Justice Center is often mentioned by the county executive, but Shelly questions whether it’s feasible with the current building configuration and limited land available. Meanwhile, he says the overall inmate population has jumped 18 percent in just the last year and could go higher as judges send more people to jail. He says there are 117 inmates at Jamesville, including sentenced, pre-sentenced, and even some federal prisoners.
Shelley says space is also limited by inmate classification, per state regulations. For example, women, and those with mental health or medical issues need to be housed in their own units. Shelley says that may tie up dozens of beds even if they’re not occupied.
“You can't count heads and beds and that's what people are trying to do," Shelley said. "That does not work. It's truly based on classification.”
Shelley says if Jamesville closed, at least 80 inmates would need to be transported to another facility because of limited space at the justice center. The closest willing to accept them is Monroe County, but that would depend on state approval. Plus, Shelley says the constant transportation would exacerbate the staffing shortage, strain deputies, and might open the county up to lawsuits from inmates and their families. It would cost $112 per inmate, or an estimated minimum of $6 to $7 million per year. County Executive Ryan McMahon says it would still be cheaper than operating a jail with mostly empty beds.
“What we spend on inmates is much more than that," McMahon said. "So overall, that's not a great argument to make related to a cost basis. The transportation of inmates would be temporary at times and may be needed at times, but it would not be the norm.”
While the county executive will talk to the media on the matter, Sheriff Shelley says McMahon won’t talk to him.
“I've gone to so many people to try and reach Ryan McMahon to have these discussions," Shelley said. "Do you think I want to sue and spend taxpayer dollars? I'm the first sheriff in over 20 years to come in under budget in 2023. I'm a steward of the taxpayers money. I take it seriously. I don't want lawsuits. I don't want appeals. All the county legislature has to do is revisit this issue and allow me to have the conversation I'm having with you, have it with them. This could be resolved without any appeal, without lawyers.”
A county spokesperson says the county executive and sheriff last spoke in November about body cameras, and that Shelley didn't bring up the merger.
The Jamesville merger with the downtown justice center was first proposed in late December 2022, when outgoing sheriff Gene Conway was in his final days in office. He and the county executive cited the a low inmate population at Jamesville and a staffing shortage downtown as one of the reasons. The county legislature approved the move a few weeks later, 38 days into Sheriff Shelley’s tenure. He asked for a delay so he could conduct a feasibility study on the ramifications of a jail merger, but that request wasn't granted.
