Regional jail plan is still in the discussion phase; county jail remains packed

by Peter Jakey– Managing Editor

Cell two of the Presque Isle County jail has four sets of bunk beds and is designed to house eight inmates. Tuesday morning, with four mattresses on the floor, there were 12 people in the cell, which already equals more than half the design capacity of the entire jail. Cell one is supposed to house four inmates, but there were five locked up with one inmate on the floor. Cell three is set up for five inmates, but had seven in it, with two on the floor. According to jail administrator Bob Paschke there was a total of 32 inmates incarcerated in the jail Tuesday morning, which is nine above the design capacity of 23.

TWO INMATES were let out on parole, but six were sentenced to the county clink on Monday?s Circuit Court motion day. ?I?m right at the point where I have to start looking to move these guys,? said Paschke. ?There is no magic number; it just isn?t good.?

Luckily for jail staff, as well as inmates, several inmates were out performing community service in Posen and Rogers City, but at night things get packed again. The current situation has lingered at the jail since October with no let up in sight. An option, which has been on the discussion table since April, is a regional jail. Presque Isle County is part

of a group of seven northern Michigan counties which continue to discuss the possible project. Representatives met earlier this week at Devere Construction of Alpena.

MONDAY MARKED the first time the chairman of the Otsego County Board of Commissioners was in attendance. They have an overcrowding situation similar to Presque Isle County but have had a jail expansion project rejected by the voters. In the time leading up to Monday?s meeting, a core group of citizens from the community were consulted to see what direction the public wants to take. Paschke would like to establish a citizens? group here as well.

?I am going to be looking for two, three, four citizens that would like to give us some input,? said Paschke, ?and see what they want done.? Location has not been discussed and the proposal is months away from bringing the project back to county boards for their input. The next regional jail meeting is January 21 in Otsego County.