Work Is Underway On The New Itawamba County Jail

ITAWAMBA COUNTY, MISS. (WCBI) – After years of discussions and studies, Itawamba County will soon have a new, modern jail.

Construction on the new Itawamba County Jail is well underway. The walls are going up, the interior is taking shape. The sheriff says the new jail will meet the county’s needs well into the future.

“The rate Itawamba County is going on jails, we build a jail every seventy years,” said Itawamba County Sheriff Chris Dickinson.

Since he came into office thirteen years ago, Sheriff Chris Dickinson has been pushing for a new jail. Parts of the current jail are seventy years old and with a capacity of 32 inmates, overcrowding was always an issue. In fact, for years the county has housed some inmates at the Tishomingo County Jail, costing taxpayers $20,000 every month.

The new 23,000  square foot facility, right off the Access Road, will have 140 beds, a kitchen, an infirmary with its own air supply, and a ventilation system to reduce the spread of germs. The building will also house the E 9 1 1 operations.

Sheriff Dickinson says the 10 million dollar project will make things safer, for inmates, deputies, jail personnel, and visitors.

“Number one priority, that’s always been my thing, from the get-go, when we started talking about this, was the safety of jail, not only for inmates but employees and citizens in the area,” Sheriff Dickinson said.

The sheriff knows that running a jail costs a lot of money. He also knows that an old, out of date jail, like the current facility, has its own set of problems.

“One of the greatest issues I’ve always been afraid of is that at some point the federal government would come in and shut the jail down when they do that, they throw out a set of plans and say, ‘ you’re going to build this at whatever it costs’ so it’s much better when you can do it on your own and get it done for as little as what we are doing, that is the best way to go, it will save us money,” he said.

The roof should be on in about six weeks. The sheriff says the new jail should be ready by November.

Eventually, the sheriff’s office and justice court will be located on the site, when funds are available.