The opening of the new jail in Asotin County is quickly approaching. Visitors toured the facility today and got a look at where criminals and the accused will spend their hours.
Captain Nathan Uhlorn is the Jail Commander. He spent several hours guiding people through the holding cells, housing units, and the shiny, unused kitchen, telling people all about how much better the new facility is than the old one.
What’s weighing heavily on his mind is the impending moving day. They have to move not just the prisoners, but also the warrants, and all the paperwork from the current jail.
“We essentially have to run two facilities at one time, and we have the staffing to run half of one facility.”
Staffing is another of his big concerns. The new jail could house 144 prisoners, but he has the officers for about half that. Uhlorn says they are actively recruiting guards, but so far they’re still coming up short. Another big snag is the beds. They’re essentially two sets of bunk beds welded together that are supposed to be able to hold 4 inmates, but can only hold three because they were designed with a divider on the bottom, but not the top. The two mattresses on top are right next to each other with no separation. He says a fix is coming, and the company who designed the jail is footing the bill.
Uhlorn says the old facility was designed for 17, is at capacity at 47, and mostly runs at around 55 inmates. He says if Asotin County ever hits the new 144-person capacity, they’ll just have to roll with it like they do now.
“Everybody says that you just stop taking people, but we can’t do that… Setting a number and saying we’re going to hold to it hasn’t worked in the past, so I don’t really see how it would in the future.”
Once the move is complete and Uhlorn takes a vacation, the Commander and the officers seem like they’ll be able to breathe a little easier.
“Our current facility, at almost every day at every hour, we’re pretty much in crisis mode.”
The new facility’s 144-person capactiy could actually double if necessary. The jail was designed to be able to be mirrored, with a copy of what’s there now built onto the back.
The new facility should provide relief soon. Moving day is expected to be in late September.
