HUNTSVILLE — Madison County Commission Chairman Mac McCutcheon says an addition to the county jail is moving from idea to planning discussion, driven by steady population growth, recurring capacity peaks, and the need to keep inmates and staff safe.
“With the growth that we’re having in our county and the capacity numbers in the jail, those numbers have been increasing over the last several years,” McCutcheon said. “They have peaked out at times and they’ve held steady for several months … we realized that hey, we’re going to have to take a serious look at space and capacity.”
McCutcheon said he has begun conversations with Sheriff Kevin Turner and Jail Chief Steve Brooks to evaluate options, including adding a wing on the existing jail property.
“All options are on the table,” he said. “We would definitely like to keep it there on the existing properties where the jail is now; we haven’t put any design on paper, yet. All we’re looking at is that we need to start looking, we need to start thinking about this and we need to get the ball in motion so that we’re addressing the future.”
Capacity, staffing, and an aging facility
McCutcheon described capacity pressures as multifaceted: Beds, staffing, and building systems all at once.
“We’ve got a facility that’s aging and the Commission is putting a lot of money into some renovation projects going into this new budget year,” he said. “We’ve made some good progress on getting our staffing numbers up, but we’re still short-staffed and we need more people.”
On population, McCutcheon said the jail averages “somewhere around 1,100 to 1,150” inmates, with a rated capacity “up to 1,300.”
“Anything over that would be a strain.” Overcrowding, he said, creates safety risks.
“Anytime you overpopulate a jail facility, prison, jail, you put your security team at risk. You’re pushing your resources to the max,” McCutcheon said. “And there’s safety for the inmates. Above all, safety of the inmates is important, one of the top priorities.
“And so we’ve got to make sure that we’ve got adequate space where every person in there, a man or a woman, and make sure that we have space that’s safe for them.”
Funding the project
McCutcheon said commissioners have already begun setting aside dollars to prepare for capital needs.
“The county, with our revenues, we have been very resourceful in setting money aside into a fund,” he said. “Every year we put back into an account for our jail system. We could draw on some of that money to get us started.
“But ultimately to finish the building project, we would probably have to go to the bond market.”
He said that a combination of local funds, bonds, and potential grants could be considered.
The Madison County Jail serves the county, including the municipalities of Huntsville, Madison, Triana, Owens Cross Roads, New Hope, and Gurley, as well as unincorporated areas. The jail is the primary detention facility for individuals arrested within the county, though exceptions exist for those from other jurisdictions.
Lessons from past projects, step-by-step delivery
The facility was completed in 2010 after going $50 million over budget and years behind schedule.
Asked how the county would avoid similar pitfalls, McCutcheon said the approach will mirror the county’s current courthouse effort.
“We want to approach this project like we do any other project,” he said. “We want to make sure we’ve got the proper design. Just like what we’re doing right now with the courthouse. We have an owner’s rep on board to make sure that we’ve got representation and we’ve got expertise at the table.
“We’d do the same thing with a jail facility, the construction phase would definitely be done in a step-by-step process.”
Why it matters: the public safety chain
McCutcheon framed the potential expansion as essential to the broader public safety system.
“You start with the initial deputies and law enforcement people that are on the streets,” he said. “Then you move to the situation of having to incarcerate someone because of a crime and then you get into the court system. There is no way that we can have public safety with all of those components in place without the jail. The jail is a very, very important part of that system.”
Planning is still early, McCutcheon said, but the timeline for action is driven by county growth over the next five years.
“We may not need to do anything over the next year,” he said, “but we know something’s going to need to be done.”
Don’t miss out! Subscribe to our email newsletter to have all our smart stories delivered to your inbox.