Fiber optic network could make major impact on new Franklin jail

RUSSELLVILLE -- Franklin County Sheriff Larry Plott said it wouldn't be a day too soon if the county's new jail was open today.

He has just a little bit longer to wait, though.

The new $8 million jail could be ready for final inspections by August and be up and operating within a couple of months.

The modern facility will replace the 70-year-old jail in downtown Russellville that has been in decline for years.

The new jail is being built on a 30-acre tract at the intersection of Walnut Gate Road and Herring Cross Road, which is between Alabama 243 and U.S. 43.

The new jail includes booking and waiting areas, records rooms, lobby, kitchen, laundry room, medical room and cells for inmates.

Plott said the building is designed to accommodate expansions, should the need arise.

"The design of the building will be so that it can be extended pretty easily," he said. "It could be added on to house 600 inmates."

The offices and supply areas will be housed in a separate building on the site.

The county is using more than $8 million in bond issues to pay for the project.

Plott said, in the long term, county residents would be better off having the new jail. Officials say the county has annually spent $75,000 to $150,000 on repairs at the old jail, which was built in the 1930s.

Plott said the new jail would allow the county to house up to 150 inmates. The old facility is crowded, with capacity near 100.

He said another important reason the jail was needed was to keep the county from falling under federal mandates that would have ultimately cost the county much more. He said had a federal mandate been given to build a new jail, construction and staffing costs would have soared.

The new facility will put the county in compliance with federal mandates and prevent the jail from being taken over with a court order.

The jail features a fiber optic network that will connect agencies throughout the community.

Plott said the network would link the jail to the courthouse, the 911 center, Russellville Hospital, Russellville schools and Franklin County schools.

The system will allow authorities to speak with school officials through a real-time videoconference and will eventually allow officers to monitor the schools, the sheriff said.

The fiber optic network will connect the agencies through an online connection that requires transmitting equipment on each end. The lines are in place and will be available when the jail opens this fall.

The network will also allow jailers to communicate with court officials without having to take inmates to the courthouse.

In the past, jailers and deputies had to walk inmates next door for bond hearings and other court proceedings.

"We can do it all over the network now," Plott said.

One unique aspect of the system is that inmates can actually receive preliminary medical examinations without being transported from the facility. As a result, Plott said the county could see a reduction in medical costs by 40-50 percent just by having the system in place.

The modern equipment will also eliminate the possibility of inmates receiving restricted items from visitors. Inmates will speak with visitors through a monitor, thus eliminating the threat of forbidden objects being taken into the jail.

"It's going to make it a lot safer for our employees and the inmates," Plott said.

The county has received three grants in excess of $660,000 for the installation of the fiber optics network.

The jail will also allow inmates to be housed by classification, which will keep those arrested on the most serious charges away from the general population in the jail.

In the current jail, inmates cannot be separated.

"It's going to cut down on fights and some of the problems we might have," Plott said. "There's just a lot of positives with this facility."

Jonathan Willis can be reached at 332-0140 or jonathan.willis@timesdaily.com.