Benton County leaders are considering asking voters to fund a new jail. They say the existing jail is inadequate for public safety needs.
The Benton County Jail was built in 1976. It has enough room for up to 40 inmates. The county is renting beds at other jails making it possible for the county to hold up to 80 offenders. Sheriff's Captain Diana Rabago says the jail has a virtual revolving door with people getting released early due to overcrowding. She says the jail uses a matrix to determine who is next on the list to be force released.
Rabago: "Its usually crimes like burglary, theft, drug crimes, domestics, people who get forced release and have a no-contact order on the victim and they'll contact the victim and get dropped back and arrested right away."
Besides being too small, the aging jail's infrastructure is crumbling, with door locks malfunctioning and leaky plumbing. The Benton County Board of Commissioners is seeking public opinion on funding a new jail. They'll decide next month whether to put a measure on the November ballot.
The next community conversation about the Benton County Jail is Thursday evening (7/23) at 5:30 at the Corvallis-Benton County Public Library.
There's another scheduled 5:30 p.m. Tuesday July 28th at Albany Golf and Event Center, 155 NW Country Club Lane, in Albany
