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| Second pod of jail nears completion |
| By waltonsun.com |
| Published: 05/26/2009 |
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As reported by WZEP 1460 AM DEFUNIAK SPRINGS -- The second jail pod is done, but not in use. After former Walton Sheriff Ralph Johnson decided to no longer take care of the jail, giving up the contract for administration, the commissioners decided to form their own corrections department. In Florida, the administration of the jail comes under the commissioners. In some counties the commissioners contract with the sheriff or hire a private company to operate the jail. In Walton the commissioners took back the operation and built a new corrections facility, complete with a new jail, medical section, food service and laundry plus office space for the corrections department. Danny Glidewell was hired from the sheriff's office to head up the department of corrections. The facility was built about five miles north of DeFuniak Springs alongside the new sheriff's administration building. This is the same area the new animal control facility is being built. The jail uses a pod design. Basically the building is divided into pie wedges with a central control point. This design is credited with taking fewer corrections officers to operate and allows for different types of inmate populations to be housed in the same building. The commissioners also decided to take advantage of the site's room, the buying power while building and current costs and began construction of a second jail pod. That jail pod is complete and ready for use, but the inmate population is not to a point the county has opened it for its own use. However, renting out the facility is a possibility, one that could make the county money. Glidewell says the second jail pod could be used to house federal or other prisoners. He explains that opening the jail pod would mean additional staff but there has to be enough inmates to make the opening financially sound. Glidewell has previously presented to the commissioners housing inmates from outside Walton as a possibility. The pod is a separate building connected to the central corrections complex. It was completed four weeks ahead of schedule, on budget with no change orders. County Administrator Ronnie Bell says it can be used at anytime and has already been used when the first jail pod needed repairs. Bell says the second unit could be occupied immediately and they are currently in discussions with federal agencies about leasing beds. Bell reports they are submitting a preliminary application to ICE, the federal immigration agency. Read more. If link has expired, check the website of the article's original news source. |
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