Tuesday night, the Pulaski County Quorum Court voted to hire twelve new detention officers to staff the Pulaski County Jail, opening up eighty new beds.
Right now, non-violent offenders convicted of misdemeanors might get probation instead of jail time because of overcrowding. That’s about to change with the funding of new officers for the jail.
Tuesday, Pulaski County Sheriff Doc Holladay told FOX16 the Pulaski County Jail is 27 inmates over capacity.
With new beds opening up, Holladay says that means criminals given probation because of overcrowding could soon face a different fate.
“As those people are arrested, those kinds of people that were, might not be staying now, will be able to stay in the future,” says Holladay.
Later this week, bunk beds will fill the sides of the main rooms in the new building with picnic tables in the middle so inmates can eat where they sleep.
The rest of the 160 beds in the building opening up depends on Pulaski County’s cities funding the salaries of more officers.
“We’re always going to try to keep the burglars, the serious felons, we’re going to keep those people incarcerated,” says Holladay.
At some point, the sheriff says the county will have to stop adding beds.
“We’re not in a position to build ourselves out of the problem. We just don’t have the money in this county and that’s not the purpose of the increase in our bed space,” says Holladay.
The new rooms in the jail will be ready by the end of the week. The new officers start training next month.
Right now, non-violent offenders convicted of misdemeanors might get probation instead of jail time because of overcrowding. That’s about to change with the funding of new officers for the jail.
Tuesday, Pulaski County Sheriff Doc Holladay told FOX16 the Pulaski County Jail is 27 inmates over capacity.
With new beds opening up, Holladay says that means criminals given probation because of overcrowding could soon face a different fate.
“As those people are arrested, those kinds of people that were, might not be staying now, will be able to stay in the future,” says Holladay.
Later this week, bunk beds will fill the sides of the main rooms in the new building with picnic tables in the middle so inmates can eat where they sleep.
The rest of the 160 beds in the building opening up depends on Pulaski County’s cities funding the salaries of more officers.
“We’re always going to try to keep the burglars, the serious felons, we’re going to keep those people incarcerated,” says Holladay.
At some point, the sheriff says the county will have to stop adding beds.
“We’re not in a position to build ourselves out of the problem. We just don’t have the money in this county and that’s not the purpose of the increase in our bed space,” says Holladay.
The new rooms in the jail will be ready by the end of the week. The new officers start training next month.
