By Cindi Andrews and Jane Prendergast
Enquirer staff writers

A Hamilton County commissioner committed Tuesday to expanding the Justice Center - the county's overcrowded downtown jail.

"I'm satisfied that we're going to have to do some expansion," Commissioner Todd Portune said. "Funding for this, I think we have to take up in the budget for 2005."

Portune's comments came after he met with Sheriff Simon Leis and several other sheriff's department officials Tuesday. Portune, a Democrat seeking re-election, said he left the meeting convinced the commissioners need to make decisions about jail solutions by the end of the year.

Leis' spokesman, Steve Barnett, said the sheriff had no comment on the meeting. But Leis previously has said he would like a new, 1,500-bed jail that would house men and women.

Total capacity at the county's four detention facilities is 2,270, including 1,240 at the downtown Justice Center, 822 at the Queensgate Correctional Facility, 148 at the Reading Road Facility and 60 at Turning Point.

Leis has said the jails are frequently at or near capacity, and that the Justice Center was crowded the day it opened 19 years ago.

In addition to a rising population of male inmates, the number of female inmates has tripled from the daily average of 100 in 1985.

Portune said there's room to expand the Justice Center onto a parking lot owned by the county and another lot the county is cutting a deal to get from the city.

He needs a second vote to take action. Commissioner John Dowlin was out of town Tuesday, but Commissioner Phil Heimlich said he's not ready to commit to a particular solution to jail crowding.

"I don't think there's any question we need more jail space," Heimlich said. "... I want to see what is going to give us the most jail space for the least cost."

Heimlich said he's awaiting the results of a county study on jail space. It's unclear whether that will be finished by the end of the year. Assistant County Administrator Eric Stuckey said the county is still looking for a consultant to do the work.

Portune envisions closing the Queensgate Correctional Center once the Justice Center expansion is completed.

That would save transportation costs between the Queensgate jail and the courthouse, which is adjacent to the Justice Center, he said.

The Queensgate Correctional Center, with a capacity of 822, is the second largest of the four detention facilities Leis operates. He says he never intended for it to be a permanent part of the jail system, rather just a temporary fix.

Leis has pitched plans for new jails several times but said he ran up against a declining county budget and elected officials who don't want to make the unpopular commitment to spend taxes on jails.

Now, when the jail gets too full, the sheriff releases inmates early and stops taking new ones - sometimes females only, sometimes both - for most misdemeanor crimes. Instead of staying overnight in jail until a court appearance the next morning, those who are arrested are processed at the justice center, photographed and assigned a time to return to court.

---

E-mail candrews@enquirer.com and jprendergast@enquirer.com