Canyon County Commissioners will vote on another temporary fix proposed to address the Canyon County jails overcrowding problem later this month.
Officials at the jail say they are at a point where a solution is mandatory, as the population continues to grow. Canyon County Jail Commander Daren Ward says, “Our county has been over population for a while now. We’re averaging about 40 inmates housed out of county a day, and at a cost of $75 a day that we’re paying other counties, it makes more sense to keep that money in Canyon County."
Ward says the county is trying to get a 28-unit trailer expansion to the jail. Consisting of 28 metal, trailer-based units which hook together, used to house 122 female inmates, all surrounded by a 10-foot tall chain link fence with razor wire across the top, located in the parking lot of the jail.
The temporary solution is provided by All Detainment Solutions LLC, a Missouri company combatting the problem of overcrowded jails. With an emphasis on temporary, Ward believes it is a viable solution to not only alleviate pressure to build a new jail for now but also to save the county money.
But not to worry residents, Caldwell Mayor says the jail overcrowding is one of few downfalls of the positive growth of Caldwell, “It’s nice to have those challenges in front of us because it means we are growing, we’re developing into the beautiful community that I have always dreamed and remembered from when I was a kid,” says Mayor Garret Nancolas.
Mayor Nancolas also says he would like to continue to see the city grow while keeping crime low, “One thing you don't want to have happen is to have the crime rate creep back up because we cannot properly those individuals who choose to break the law.”
Two out of three County Commissioners votes are needed to approve this proposal later this month.
