The Associate Press
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) - Safety concerns at El Paso County’s maximum security jail have prompted Sheriff Terry Maketa to recommend shutting it down and relocating its 350 inmates to another county jail.
Maketa was to present his recommendation to county commissioners Monday. The request comes as El Paso County’s population at both its jails hit a record of 1,312 inmates Friday, the sheriff’s office said.
The largest population before that was 1,307 inmates, a record set in March.
Maketa said the Metro Detention Facility in downtown Colorado Springs has no system to detect smoke, blow it out of the building or put out fires. Doorways and stairwells are too small to allow a quick evacuation and doors on the jail cells malfunction and can be jammed open or closed.
“It poses a serious threat,” Maketa said.
A consultant’s report released this month recommended closing the jail or spending up to $12 million for repairs and upgrades.
If closed, inmates would be moved to the medium- and minimum-security Criminal Justice Center, which is being expanded by 864 beds that are expected to be ready by March.
The Metro Detention Facility opened in 1973 and has a history of safety problems, dating back to 1983 when an inmate committed suicide with a blanket. An ensuing lawsuit resulted in a federal judge’s order forcing changes. That order remained in effect until November 2003.
Former Sheriff John Anderson in 1997 asked for $34.5 million to replace the jail but his request was denied by county commissioners.
In 1999, commissioners approved $1.2 million to temporarily fix the problems with the doors. Those repairs were only expected to last four or five years.
If the facility is closed and prisoners moved, Maketa said the building could possibly be used for storage, although no final decisions have been made.
Paying for Maketa’s plan would likely mean cuts in service, said county Commissioner Wayne Williams, adding that leaving the jail as is could cost even more.
El Paso County has been the target of lawsuits in recent years from groups like the National Prison Project, which advocates for prisoners’ rights.