Newly-elected Shasta County Supervisors Kevin Crye and Chris Kelstrom have yet to settle into the driver’s seat of their first board meeting to even see the 2022 election in the rearview mirror, but they will have to keep both hands on the wheel and hit the accelerator as they and their new colleagues have a number of crucial decisions to make from the onset of their time on the dais together – perhaps none as important as what to do about the much-maligned, and long-undersized Shasta County Jail.
Over the summer, Supervisors made the decision to allocate $25 million dollars of the $35 million dollars from the County’s American Rescue Plan Act funds to future jail construction. Since then, Sheriff Michael Johnson has made presentations to the same elected body, and held focus group meetings in recent months with community members, describing three options: 1) Expand the jail in its current location in downtown Redding. 2) Expand the jail downtown AND build a new facility on county property at the southeast corner of Highway 44 and Old Oregon Trail. 3) Build ONLY the new facility outside of downtown Redding. Supervisors chose to move forward with option 2. Below, I explain each option in greater detail.
Option 1: Expand the Jail in Its Current Location in Downtown Redding
According to Sheriff Johnson, the total size of the property including the soon-to-be-former courthouse, is about four acres. The estimated cost of expanding the current jail is north of $100 million dollars and would include an additional 256 beds. The estimated time to complete the expansion is 4-6 years.
Option 2: Expand the Current Jail AND Build a New Facility
This is the option that was approved by the Board of Supervisors earlier this year. Presumably, it could be a way of ensuring quicker results, while still keeping an eye on future incarceration and rehabilitation needs.
Option 3: Build ONLY a New Facility
The County of Shasta owns a 40-acre parcel near the interchange of Highway 44 and Old Oregon Trail/Airport Road, known to some longtime residents as the former site of the Enterprise dump. Sheriff Johnson says the County is currently gathering information to consider purchasing three adjacent parcels, making the total sixty acres. This option is estimated to cost $500 million dollars and take 8-10 years to complete.
From the information shared at a focus group meeting I attended on November 3rd, it appears that spending $100+ million dollars on a downtown jail expansion would prove complex, costly, and would not create 256 additional beds. Given ADA requirements, larger kitchen needs, and an expanded sally port, according to an architect with expertise in designing jails, the County would be lucky to get half of the additional beds.
Currently, an entire floor of the Shasta County Jail has been shut down. Sheriff Johnson says that is due to ongoing staffing challenges and the fact that the outdated, inefficient vertical model of the jail means that each floor has to be treated like its own building. It would seem as though operations and ongoing maintenance costs will continue to plague the current jail. If that is likely the case, and if the long term plan is to build a new facility, why “throw good money after bad” and double down on an archaic model?
I think it makes more sense to focus on the future. Utilize the $25 million dollars in ARPA funds to get the new incarceration and rehabilitation campus project started now. Figure out a way to bring Health & Human Services Agency funds to the table and leverage them with money for the jail. Build with a capacity in mind that factors in population growth for the expected life of the facility. It is well known that the initial capital outlay is a small percentage of the overall cost to operate the facility over its lifespan. Do everything possible to gain efficiencies in the operation of the facility, which is likely to be a single story with a “podular” design that maximizes bed space, in-custody supportive services such as medication assisted treatment and life skills, while minimizing staffing requirements and recidivism rates. Let’s build the model others will seek to imitate.
Additional Questions
Why will it take 8-10 years to build a new facility? Is there a way to expedite that process? Will the County be utilizing bond-type financing to fund the project? If so, what would the terms be (i.e. cost to the taxpayers)? We have been told that transporting inmates across the street or across town requires the same process and is not much different in terms of cost. What will be the process of releasing prisoners from the new facility?
Reimagine the Site of the Old Jail and Courthouse
Finally, when the new campus is complete across town, and all the inmates have been escorted, and the lights turned off at the former jail in downtown Redding, I hope the wrecking ball is ready to demolish it and the former courthouse. I hope the County’s fleet vehicle maintenance station on the corner of Placer and Court St. is also vacated and relocated. Then, finally, that land could be sold to the private sector and redeveloped into something beautiful, inspiring, and profitable.
Michael Johnson’s term as Sheriff was recently expanded to six years thanks to the passing of Assembly Bill 759, which gives he and District Attorney Stephanie Bridgett two additional years in office to make positive and impactful change in the local criminal justice center. Sheriff Johnson is planning to host a number of community-wide workshops on this crucial project. We will be sure to keep you updated when those are scheduled.
What is your opinion regarding this project? What additional questions do you have? Feel free to send your thoughts to me at jake@reddingchamber.com. We will be sure to share the concerns and the voice of the business community with the Sheriff.
Jake Mangas
President & CEO
