Criminals who have not taken going to jail seriously in the past few years because of overcrowding issues in the old City Jail are in for a rude awakening.
The new City Jail will house 219 people – more than double the capacity of the old jail.
City leaders, including Mayor Keith Hightower and Chief of Police Mike Campbell, dedicated the new $8 million, 46,000 square foot facility at a ceremony this morning.
While the jail has been dedicated, inmates will not actually stay there until Sunday night. That will give jail staff a little more time to prepare and make sure everything runs smoothly.
The official opening on Sunday also means people who have outstanding warrants for their arrest have just a couple of days left to pay fines and clear their records without the possibility of them being arrested and booked into jail.
Now that there is more space, female inmates and felony prisoners will again be booked in the City Jail. Previously, those violators were taken directly to Caddo Correctional Center.
The new jail was funded by a bond issue approved by voters in July of 2001. Citizens have the chance to tour the new facility between noon and 5 p.m. today.
It is a state-of-the-art correctional facility designed to make the jail not only safer for the jailers, but also for the inmates themselves.