Hamilton County Jail expansion opens
A group of elected officials touring the new extension to the Hamilton County Jail. (Courtesy: Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office)
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF)- The Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office took control of the Silverdale Prison in 2021, in what they described as being in a deteriorating state.
Since then, they have worked on improvements to the Hamilton County Jail, and today unveiled a new expansion.
According to Hamilton County Sheriff Austin Garrett, on average, about 1100 inmates are housed at the Hamilton County Jail.
He hopes this new expansion of the jail will enhance their operations.
“I’m excited. I know my employees are more excited than I am. The men and women who staff this agency, many of whom have worked in the temporary facility, and they have endured a less than perfect work environment to book to over 15,000 people a year into this correctional facility,” said Sheriff Garrett.
The jail extension, built at an under-projected cost of $32 million, adds new housing, administrative space, and inmate property room.
The project has been planned since former Sheriff Jim Hammond was in office.
Hamilton County Mayor Weston Wamp echoed a sentiment once shared by Sheriff Hammond who said the jail should never had been privatized, as it had been from 1984 to 2020.
Mayor Wamp said, “The rights of inmates ought to be protected by those who sworn an oath, wear a badge. Some things the government can do better than the private sector, especially given the deplorable condition the Sheriff’s Office walked into and raised the bar.”
Elected officials got to take their first glances into the new facility, and say they were happy with what they saw.
Commissioner David Sharpe said, “It also creates an environment that reduces liability not only for inmates, but for deputies and taxpayers.”
There are new spaces for medical and mental health services as well.
Andi Jeane, the regional director for Quality Correctional Healthcare said their expanded services, which will eventually be built into a full-scale infirmary, will help them treat inmate as she said, “Being incarcerated is just tough, and then you look at society right now we have a lot of people struggling with mental health, a lot of people struggling with different drug addiction and all of that added that leads to a worsening mental health experience.”
Sheriff Garrett added they hope to bring several necessary medical procedures for inmates in house, as currently for certain medical conditions the Sheriff’s Office must transport inmates to an outside medical facility.
There is also a focus on expanding re-entry services, with welding and cosmetology among new skills available to inmates to increase their chances of landing work after release.
Wendy Harris, the Inmate Program Operations Manager for the Sheriff’s Office said, “The good part about all of this is that we now have employers who are reaching out to us, asking us how they can be a part of second chances.”
Sheriff Garrett hopes the new facility will enhance security, as he says they aim to further separate the inmate population based on various needs.
He also adds they will be doing a needs assessment to determine what jail upgrades are needed next.
He says that the location will be sole location for correctional facilities in the county, saying the Sheriff’s Office could not operate more than one facility.
Among potential upgrades, he says more housing and a new kitchen are among the top priorities.
The new portion of the jail began accepting its first inmates at 4 p.m. on Tuesday afternoon.
