Supervisors seek appropriate site for new Itawamba County jail

FULTON, Miss. (WCBI) – Supervisors in Itawamba County are actively searching for a site that will meet the needs for a new jail.

Itawamba County Sheriff Chris Dickinson says supervisors are well aware of the problems with the current facility.  Some portions of the current jail have been in use for 70 years.

The current jail’s capacity is around 34 inmates, but often, there are 60 inmates.  When that happens, the overflow is sent to the Tishomingo County Sheriff’s Department, at a cost of $20 per inmate each day.

Sheriff Dickinson says supervisors are working diligently on the issue.

“They see the dollar signs, they see the money going right up north and it needs to stay right here, for us and they are actively working on it, we do need to get something going though, cause it’s costing us,” Sheriff Dickinson said.

The sheriff says Itawamba county spends as much as $20,000 every month to house its inmates in Tishomingo County. Once a location is found,  plans call for a 100 bed facility , along with administrative offices.