JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Talks of moving the Duval County jail from its current spot in downtown Jacksonville have been happening at City Hall for a number of years, with Councilman Ron Salem at the forefront of those discussions.
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Earlier this week, Salem introduced legislation that would allocate $100,000 to hire a firm to conduct a study to determine what would be needed in a new facility.
Though a location for a new jail has not been selected, Salem said the goal is for its structure and functionality to last long-term.
“We want to make sure we have all our ducks lined up in terms of size, services, location,” Salem said. “As well as the jail population, how it might grow over the next five or 10 years. We view this next facility as, really, a 50-year facility.”
Salem said that means looking at inmate beds and services, among many other details.
According to the bill, the study would be conducted by CGL Management Services, LLC. Its website states it has 50 years of experience in justice facility planning, design, program management, and maintenance solutions.
Salem said the group’s research will provide critical guidance on the next steps.
“This was a group that, I think the sheriff introduced to me,” Salem said. “They provide these types of services, in no way allows them to build a facility. That will have to go out for bid, but we can use them to research the background for things like this.”
Salem said as for a new jail, his priority is to build a campus-like facility allowing space for on-site healthcare and mental health services. Salem said those services at the facility alone would save millions of dollars in transportation costs to and from UF Health Jacksonville. Furthermore, the current facility is over 30 years old and has shown years of wear and tear.
“It was built up versus out, and all the issues of elevators and all those things in the existing facility are breaking down,” Salem said. “So, we definitely want a structure that’s one or two floors spread out on a campus-type situation that I think will really serve this community.”
Eduardo Coleman has lived in Jacksonville all his life and said the current jail is an eyesore worth moving away from downtown.
“There’s a lot of other places that are off the beaten path that they could take it,” Coleman said. “It would work either way, whether it is there or wherever it is. I think that’s prime property for the city, so I’m thinking they’ve got some plans for that lot.”
Paige Crawford said whenever the time comes to move the jail, she wants to see the current space used in a way that’s family-friendly.
“I have grandkids, I want them to be able to come downtown and enjoy,” Crawford said. “When I was young, I used to come downtown all the time, that was our day out. I would like to see it be a better environment.
If the bill makes it through the council, Salem said he expects the study would take less than a year. His hope is to have a new jail in the next five years.
“I will be pushing it as hard as I can in trying to educate my colleagues on the importance of this,” Salem said. “The administration, I know the sheriff is very much behind this process.”
Councilman Salem said $100,000 would start the study, but he does anticipate some changes to his bill over the next couple of weeks.
