VIGO COUNTY, Ind (WTWO/WAWV) — Plaintiffs in the federal lawsuit regarding overcrowding at the Vigo County Jail have raised concerns that the new facility could suffer from the same issues.
The court recently toured the new building which is located just behind Haute City Center. According to court documents, the plaintiff’s counsel noted that the new building would be considered overcrowded at 80% capacity.
The plaintiff’s counsel added that the number of inmates currently housed in the older facility when combined with the inmates being housed out-of-county would exceed 80% capacity right away.
The court noted the possibility of having a meeting with the defendants and others in the justice system to discuss ways to address population issues at the new jail.
A status conference in the case is scheduled to take place by phone on August 11.
WTWO/WAWV reached out to Sheriff John Plasse about the situation, Plasse stated that the judge recently toured the new facilities and seemed impressed by spaces in the building dedicated to programs that will help inmates.
Sheriff Plasse says the facility is expected to reach 80% capacity or more and said even with bed space left over, the jail would be considered overcrowded.
According to the Sheriff, the judge involved had mentioned potentially holding a meeting with members of the local justice system to discuss ways to address the overcrowding issue.
