BY JANICE MORSE
The Cincinnati Enquirer
HAMILTON -- When deciding where to put a new jail, the most important consideration may be who wants it, said Jolynn Hurwitz, administrator for Butler County's Criminal Justice Board.
That's why it appears likely the new county jail will be built somewhere in Hamilton, officials said at a Jail Work Group meeting Monday.
"Hamilton is the only place that is saying they would like to house the facility," Ms. Hurwitz said.
More often than not, the "NIMBY (Not in My Back Yard) syndrome" prevents officials from locating on otherwise ideal sites, she told the group.
Following several defeats of ballot issues to replace the county's crowded jail, the nine-member Jail Work Group of criminal justice and other local officials is putting together a plan to build a new jail with no new taxes.
The current jail, built in 1971, is supposed to hold fewer than 85 prisoners -- yet it routinely houses more than 190. On Monday, the jail population was 161.
The Jail Work Group has already decided the new jail should be large enough to hold 400 prisoners, with room to double-cell up to 800 prisoners. The group estimates it would cost $28 million to $30 million, including purchase of the jail site.
Site selection is expected to remain an issue for the next several weeks. But as of Monday, two Hamilton sites remained in the running:
- Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Ludlow Street.
- Hanover Street near Seventh Street (the former Deutscher Foundry).
The group's chairman, Butler County Commissioner Michael A. Fox, said he favors the Deutscher site because it will probably be easier and cheaper to acquire.
Hamilton City Manager Hal Shepherd said city officials would rather see the Deutscher site redeveloped for industry, given its location along a railway. He also hopes that an industrial use would provide more jobs than a jail would.
He and others have said they prefer the MLK Boulevard site.
Sheriff Harold Don Gabbard has said he wants a site that is close to courts, for ease of transporting prisoners for court appearances. The MLK Boulevard site could be connected to the Government Services Center, an under-construction high-rise that includes a new home for county criminal courts now located in the courthouse at Court and High streets.
Mr. Fox, however, points out that available computer technology will allow "real-time" conversations between prisoners and their lawyers or judges. Commissioners are now preparing to seek bids for a fiber-optic network that would aid such communication.
Despite concerns that the Deutscher site is about a dozen blocks away from the under-construction court site, Mr. Fox said, "My instincts tell me that the Deutscher Foundry site will cost less and give us more."
Details about that site and others are expected to be discussed further at the next meeting, on Oct. 19 in the county administration building.
