Shelby County Jail expansion project receives funding from county commission

SHELBY COUNTY, Ala. (WBRC) - An expansion at the Shelby County Jail will mean more room and safer conditions in the community.

The county commission just approved funding for the expansion. The $28 million project has been on the table for about a year.

The county commission called it the most expensive endeavor yet, but also the most important.

The expansion project will provide the jail with a new mental health unit, an expansion of their medical unit, and doubling the size of their segregation unit.

All to provide more efficient services for the inmates.

Shelby County Sheriff John Samaniego says they have had significant growth over the last 5 years.

“Probably average somewhere between 400 and 450 and now we are averaging between 475 and 520, we are getting very close to our max,” Samaniego said. “This expansion will give us somewhere close to 40 beds and we will be able to manage the inmates better.”

Next steps include construction design. The sheriff says they hope to make that happen in the next 60 days.

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