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Callaway County continues construction on a new jail facility on Tuesday at Callaway County Jail in Fulton. The county decided to build a new addition to the jailhouse to help fix space issues and upgrade technology.

The lobby of the new jail building gets finishing touches on Tuesday at Callaway County Jail in Fulton. Empty boxes and carts of paint cans were ready to finish interior work before the workers could bring in furnishings.

A wall cut out for a window looks into the new break room on Tuesday at Callaway County Jail in Fulton. Work on the lobby stalled as the outside construction finished.

Callaway County continues construction on a new jail facility on Tuesday at Callaway County Jail in Fulton. The county decided to build a new addition to the jailhouse to help fix space issues and upgrade technology.

The lobby of the new jail building gets finishing touches on Tuesday at Callaway County Jail in Fulton. Empty boxes and carts of paint cans were ready to finish interior work before the workers could bring in furnishings.

A wall cut out for a window looks into the new break room on Tuesday at Callaway County Jail in Fulton. Work on the lobby stalled as the outside construction finished.

A bigger jail with state-of-the-art technology is on track to open in Fulton at the end of October, and a justice center with additional courtrooms and administrative offices is targeted for completion before the end of the year.

The new jail, which is an addition to the existing facility, will increase from 90 to 152 beds, including a few to be set aside for inmates who are ill. The current jail holds 90 inmates, and according to Callaway County Presiding Commissioner Gary Jungermann, the jail is almost always at full capacity.

The current inmate housing area is scheduled to be demolished, but the rest of the current jail, including the Callaway County Sheriffs Department, will be used as office space and a 911 facility, as well as for additional storage space.

Jungermann cited limited space as one of the main reasons for the new facilities, as well as the technology that will modernize the new jail.

He said the technology will include a new camera system and an upgraded security system.

“We will be able to handle inmates in a much safer way, and our hope is that we can provide a better atmosphere for not only our staff but the inmates as well,” Jungermann said.

Callaway County voters approved a $30 million bond issue in 2019, and that is the cost of the two projects, according to Jungermann.

Almost everything at the new facility will be able to be done electronically. Among the safety upgrades is a new full-body X-ray machine used when inmates check into the facility.

Inmates will be able to talk with visitors via video call with specially designed computers, and the inmate housing area will have multiple kiosks for video calls.

Inmates will also be able to purchase snacks from the same kiosks, something that required paperwork before.

The new jail will also have a central control center where staff members will be able to monitor inmate housing with cameras, as well as give them the ability to electronically control the opening and closing of every door in the facility.

Jungermann and County Sheriff Clay Chism said they spent a long time touring and researching other contemporary jails to learn about their innovations. That allowed them see what has been both effective and ineffective in newer jails.

According to Chism, the state-of-the-art X-ray machine is uncommon in many jails, but it was nevertheless included in the design process for the new Callaway jail. It will help ensure that new inmates are not bringing in forbidden items, which will improve the safety for everyone, he said.

The new justice center will be located on Second Street in downtown Fulton and will feature four courtrooms, as opposed to two at the current one, as well as new offices for the circuit clerk, the prosecuting attorney and the juvenile court.

The current justice center was in the courthouse two blocks away, which was built in 1938 and was home to not only the court system but all administrative offices as well.

“We just don’t have enough space anymore in our current facility for the courts and what we are doing with county government,” Jungermann said.

He also added that the current facility is in good shape and that administration such as the county recorder, collector and assessor would still be handled in the present courthouse.

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City and County Government editor 573-882-4557 anklamf@missouri.edu

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