Johnson County Jail becoming ‘money pit’

IOWA CITY — As the future of improvements for the Johnson County Jail and sheriff’s office remains up in the air, several county inmates are continuing to be housed every day out of town — costing thousands of dollars — due to capacity limits at the facility.

Inmates housed out of county currently are housed at jail facilities in Linn, Henry, Cedar or Washington counties, Johnson County Sheriff Brad Kunkel said — though its inmates have been housed in 13 other facilities since 2003.

Kunkel said the county tries to house its inmates in facilities closest to Johnson County, but it depends on what facilities have space.

In the 20 years between 2003 and 2023, the county spent $15.8 million on housing inmates out of county, which averages to about $790,000 a year, according to county data. Those numbers are for housing only and don’t include the cost of staff time or transportation-related costs.

Over that 20-year period, the county spent the most in 2015 — over $1 million. But the number of inmates required to be housed out of county — and the cost associated with it — has dropped in recent years. County staff have pointed to prevention efforts, such as the opening of GuideLink Center in 2021, as part of the reason.

Between 2021 and 2023, the county paid an average of $387,000 a year to house inmates out of county, according to county data. Kunkel said that the county currently is averaging about 20 to 25 inmates being housed out of county at any given time, though that number fluctuates.

The county has yet to release data for 2024.

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Limited operational capacity

When the jail was opened in 1981, it was built with a capacity for 46 beds and the ability to add bunks to increase capacity to 92.

Kunkel said the facility now operates at a capacity of 65 beds.

“That's just a number we've set internally as that's kind of our target population for this building based on the square footage that we have, the staff we have. … And also, once we start getting above that number, you're packing more people into small spaces and you start to see more problems, fights and other conflicts,” he said.

The current facility lacks direct sight lines, which means staff need to walk around the building at least twice an hour to check on inmates, Kunkel said. The building doesn’t have any recreation or outdoor space for inmates while they are in custody.

“You have to always have that cushion, if you will, to meet the needs of the in-house population and manage that inflow and outflow of people. If we kept every bed full, and then we had 15 for court tomorrow morning that we had to house, we would be over the 92,” Kunkel said of the facility’s operational capacity.

Between June 2022 and January 2024, Johnson County averaged about 83 inmates per month, which includes those housed out of county and those on electronic monitors while on house arrest, according to county data. However, the number of inmates in county custody at one time can vary greatly from day to day.

“My biggest concern when it comes to the out-of-county housing challenge we deal with is the risk involved anytime you have an inmate outside of the confines of your building. … If it's going to happen, there could be an assault or an escape attempt … and if we were out in inclement weather and we're in a crash, we're civilly liable for the inmate and the staff member well-being, too,” said Kunkel.

The county employs four part-time drivers who solely transport inmates between facilities. However, sheriff’s Capt. John Good said depending on an inmate’s criminal charge, another staff member may need to be present and other deputies may assist.

“There’s an administrative role day to day, trying to coordinate with the courts and the transports, because we still have to maintain the staffing levels for the jail to take care of everybody here,” Good said.

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Monitoring state of current facility

In addition to inmate capacity, the building also lacks adequate space for the 102 employees who work there, Kunkel said.

As of December 2024, $95,000 was spent on repairs and maintenance for the jail and sheriff’s office, with six months to go in the fiscal 2025 budget year. Part of the work included replacing thermostats.

“The reality of that building is it’s a money pit at the moment,” said Dave Curtis, Johnson County’s facilities manager, in a Board of Supervisors budget meeting in December.

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Kunkel said the facility has run out of storage space, which causes staff to store mattresses and other inmate supplies in hallways.

Staff has reported that the roof leaks every time it rains. Axiom Consultants, which did a structural report on the facility in June 2024, has began measuring cracks in the building’s interior and exterior to monitor the state of the facility.

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A structural report on the facility identified a number of issues with the exterior wall and facade system. The report states that the building also is showing signs of “initial failure of some of the supporting structural elements.”

Axiom is in the process of designing a proposal that would replace the building’s roof and HVAC system and stabilize the brick exterior. The Board of Supervisors has allocated $36,500 for the initial study, but has not committed to any other work.

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Plans for a future facility up in the air

While a study on repairs for the facility are ongoing, the county is in talks about a new law enforcement facility that would include the Iowa City Police Department.

Both Johnson County and Iowa City completed space needs assessments of their facilities in the past two years. The two architectural firms that completed the study have been meeting to discuss what a possible joint facility could look like.

Neither the Board of Supervisors nor the Iowa City Council has voted on a partnership.

The Criminal Justice Coordinating Committee is attempting to put a bond issue before voters in November 2026 that would fund the project if approved.

A joint county/city project referendum would require only a simple majority approval from voters, as opposed to a 60 percent approval required if the county alone were to introduce a bond, according to county officials.

The county previously has tried to finance jail improvements through larger criminal justice bond referendums in 2012 and 2013. Both proposals received more than 50 percent approval from voters, but needed 60 percent to pass.

A space needs assessment by Shive-Hattery in summer 2024 called for a $80 million facility that would serve as the sheriff’s office and jail. But that did not take into account a facility shared with Iowa City police.

Comments: megan.woolard@thegazette.com