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| Circular jail is source of pride for designer |
| By NBC13.com |
| Published: 05/03/2004 |
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Jails are not usually a source of pride, but those involved with a $13 million jail project in Cullman County (Ala.) are happy to laud the future lockup. The jail's circular design and modular construction have helped keep construction costs low and will enable it to operate more efficiently, requiring fewer employees than a traditional square or rectangular jail its size, designers said. Birmingham's CLA Architecture Inc. designed the jail, its first such project, with the help of corrections consultant Fred Moyer in Chicago. "The design is critical to how this facility will operate," said Frank Fagg, an associate at CLA who is overseeing the Cullman County Jail project. "The architecture is a key element to the function of the jail." Jail design and costs are major issues for the thousands of industry experts in Birmingham this week for the American Jail Association Conference at the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex. The jail is designed to keep maximum security detainees separate from the rest of the inmates. Other parts of the jail are set up for women prisoners, work release trusties and juveniles. The new facility also will include the offices of the Cullman County Sheriff's Department and the county's 911 telephone center. The cells themselves are concrete and steel modules constructed in Georgia and delivered to the site. Nearly 140 prisoners can be imprisoned in the new jail. Counting other medium security, work release and juvenile areas, there are 178 lockdown beds on the new jail site. The new jail will be relatively roomy compared to conditions at the current Cullman County Jail. Built in 1964 to house up to 74 inmates, the jail maintains between 100 and 150 prisoners on an average day. Lt. Brian Buegler, warden of the Cullman County Jail, said the new facility represents a huge improvement. The sheriff's department will add 15 employees to staff the new facility, but that number is lower than it would be for a jail with a conventional design. Buegler estimates that would have had to be 25 for a typical jail holding the same number of inmates. |
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