CANYON COUNTY, Idaho — “It was an absolute joke, but for the cold climate,” said Canyon County Commissioner Brad Holton.
Canyon County leaders met Monday to discuss a path forward for long-term inmate housing.
The county has been reporting on jail overcrowding for years, including several failed attempts to pass a bond for a larger jail. In 2020, the county decided to temporarily lease 28 semi-trailers, which were converted into housing for female inmates—known as Pod 6.
“It was basically an experiment out of desperation,” said Canyon County Sheriff Kieran Donahue.
That lease has cost the county around $1.6 million a year, on top of $200,000 in work orders. County leaders agreed it is not a good long-term solution. Rather than purchase Pod 6 for almost $2 million, they decided to terminate the contract.
“I think that if you bought a building and you could walk through it and see daylight at any of the main HVAC points, it might be a clue about what other things you can’t directly see were put together and manufactured,” Holton said.
“We tried it, it failed. We have to write off what we paid for the taxpayers to redirect for something that is feasible,” Donahue said.
Now, the county is in discussions with a company that has built similar inmate housing in several other states to explore what’s possible.
“All that is vitally important, and by moving forward with that construction, we can design it. We get to help in the design with our experts in facilities, our experts from the jail commanders, and our command staff,” said Donahue.
The county is considering a 26-acre property near Pond Lane for the future facility, which would be built in phases. Phase one could accommodate 192 female inmates. Sheriff Donahue expressed concern about the high costs of temporarily housing inmates elsewhere, along with roughly 700 people currently out on pre-trial conditions due to a lack of available housing.
“No matter what, you are paying another county revenue because you don’t have room in this jail,” Donahue said.
