Know how to hold ‘em: Prefabricated cells -- holding either two people or eight people -- are clustered together in 64-bed cell blocks that also contain a common room, an exercise area with a mesh window to the outside world, and a multi-purpose room that can be used for classes or other activities.
By Dan Rozek
The Chicago Sun-Times
KANE COUNTY, Ill. — The new $56 million Kane County jail doesn’t have any bars, or for that matter, any keys.
The state-of-the-art Adult Justice Center instead relies on high-strength security glass and computer-controlled, keyless doors to keep inmates in their cells.
“We’re done with bars,” said Cmdr. Pat Keaty, who runs jail operations for the Kane County sheriff’s department, which unveiled the facility Friday in west suburban St. Charles.
The jail, though, also may not have enough room for all of the inmates headed its way from the county’s outdated, 33-year-old lockup.
The sleek, six-level new structure has enough beds for 640 inmates, but Kane County authorities said there were 676 people in custody Friday, though they note that number varies depending on the day and season.
The new jail has covered shell space that can be finished to add 128 more beds, but officials said they don’t plan to do that immediately.
Instead, officials say that by gradually shifting inmates to the new detention center, they’ll find enough room for everyone without having to refinish empty spaces.
“Obviously, the goal is not to be over the day we open,” said Lt. Pat Gengler, a sheriff’s department spokesman, noting: “It’s not a huge number we’re over now.”
A few weeks ago, he said, the jail had fewer than 640 inmates.
County officials focused on the improvement the new jail provides over the old detention center -- including its location.
The jail now connects with the courthouse, making it dramatically easier to transfer prisoners there through a secured hallway for court dates. The old jail required a bus trip for inmates going to court. A new sheriff’s office also is connected to the jail, bringing the county’s criminal justice system together for the first time in its history.
“Having all the operations on one campus will enable us to provide a more efficient operation,” Sheriff Pat Perez said.
The new technology incorporated into the building also helps, he said.
Prefabricated cells -- holding either two people or eight people -- are clustered together in 64-bed cell blocks that also contain a common room, an exercise area with a mesh window to the outside world, and a multi-purpose room that can be used for classes or other activities.
Officers stationed in each housing unit don’t have keys; they use handheld, electronic devices to control doors, though for security, each device operates only the doors in that unit. Officers manning a computerized monitoring center can take control of a housing unit in an emergency, authorities said.
Traditional bars on cell doors have given way to thick security glass.
“It gives us good visuals into the cell,” Keaty said.
Specialized ventilation that funnels air through cells should help control odors, and all the plumbing fixtures are designed to conserve water, officials said.
“We now have a well-built facility that will last for many, many decades to come,” Kane County Board Chairwoman Karen McConnaughay said.
There’s another benefit to the new building, she said -- it looks more like an office than a prison.
“We promised the community a facility that would not look like a correctional institution,” she said.
Copyright 2008 Chicago Sun-Times, Inc.