For 44 years, Johnson County’s Jail in Iowa City has housed inmates all across the county.
As of late, it’s done so less effectively. A 2023 assessment by Axiom Consultants determined that the jail and sheriff’s office were at the end of their structural lives, recommending substantial repairs or replacement.
Even more surprising was a report by the sheriff’s office in January 2024, which found that a total of $15.8 million was spent to house inmates in other counties from 2003 to 2023.
The Johnson County Board of Supervisors turned to the public for a solution on April 17, approving a survey that will gauge residents’ preferences on what to do with the jail and sheriff’s office. The survey is programmed by the University of Iowa Center for Social Science Innovation, or CSSI.
As of now, the survey is expected to cost the county $53,406. CSSI hopes to collect 400 completed responses in the survey’s lifetime from May 23 to July 18. CSSI Associate Director Ethan Rogers dove into what residents can expect from the survey.
“The theme is to ask questions about their knowledge around the current conditions of the sheriff’s office and jail, as well as finding what kind of information does the community need to help inform their views about possible construction on a new building,” he said.
The Johnson County Board of Supervisors attempted to pass bond referendums in 2012 and 2013 aimed at expanding the jail, but both failed to garner enough public votes. Although votes were above 50 percent, they didn’t reach the 60 percent threshold required for a supermajority vote.
Besides structural issues, the jail has also been struggling with space.
“You don’t build a jail to be like a resort hotel, but you also don’t build it to be like an animal shelter,” Supervisor Lisa Green- Douglass said. “You want to build it so that functions can happen within the jail that will allow for reintegration into society once the inmate is released from incarceration.”
For Johnson County Sheriff Brad Kunkel, educating the public about the state of the jail is crucial in dispelling misconceptions that have formed over the years.
With 24 years of experience at the sheriff’s office and jail, Kunkel said he has heard everything from beliefs that the jail only houses college students to increasing the jail’s capacity means law enforcement will be eager to fill up the open cells.
“We’re going to be trying to get the pulse of public knowledge and understanding of the sheriff’s office and the jail. And then we need to focus our education efforts around the jail so we can help people understand the need,” he said.
Supervisor V Fixmer-Oraiz hopes that if a new jail is agreed upon by the public, it would focus on the mental health of the inmates rather than just adding new cells.
“The state has been taking away community support, whether that’s being able to address affordable housing or access to food or transportation and security, workforce development, those supports have been dwindling for decades,” they said. “So, now what we’re dealing with is a population of high-needs mental health constituents who really need facilities.”