New jail on track to open this year

VICKSBURG, Miss. (VDN) — Despite some set backs, the Warren County new jail is on track to be open this year.

According to Warren County Sheriff Martin Pace, the jail will most likely open later this year. He said the actual building has been completed by White Construction.

“I’m so pleased with White Construction,” said Sheriff Pace. “They completed the building ahead of schedule and were under budget.”

With the completion of the building, the jail was issued a temporary certificate of occupancy. This allows staff to enter the building and train; however, the facility will need the completion of a water tower before the jail can house prisoners.

The water tower plays a crucial role in providing the necessary water pressure for the building’s fire suppression systems, without the water tower, the location is just under mark for the needed water pressure for the systems to function properly.

Not only the jail, but also the residents in the area will experience a greater water pressure once the tower is completed.

Phoenix Fabricators are the contractors for the water tower. Earlier in the year, the Warren County Board of Supervisors were forced to send a demand letter to the company because the foundation for the tower was laid incorrectly and did not meet engineering standards. The company was forced to demolish the slab and start over.

The slab has since been completed, and Phoenix Fabricators is currently in the process of constructing the tower.

Despite the delays, county leadership remains optimistic about the jail. The current jail was constructed in 1907, and due to the facilities age, safety concerns for both staff and prisoners was a motivator in deciding to construct the multimillion dollar state-of-the-art facility.

“Truly for decades, its an issue that needed to be addressed,” said BOS President Dr. Kelle Barfield.

The groundbreaking on the new building site was in September of 2024.

“The 2020 Board decided to begin pursuing the design of the jail, but then Covid hit. Plans to look at a lot of the facilities the sheriff wanted us to look at across the state were put on hold,” said Dr.Barfield. “That being said I think you really could say we have been working actively on the facility itself, past the property acquisition, for about six years.”

Dr. Barfield also pointed out that because of the delay caused by the Covid pandemic, county leadership were afforded the chance to slow down and analyze the design and functionality of the ending design of the new jail.

Although the jail comes at a price tag of $74 million, Warren County Supervisors were pleased to be able to fund the needed project without raising taxes on citizens.

“As far as the bond to construct the jail, we issued certificates of participation and the quality of our finances in Warren County were solid enough that we got a very favorable rate,” explained Dr. Barfield.

To date, the county has been able to make payments on the bond, without increasing millage.

The current jail only allows for the housing of pre-trial felony offenders. All misdemeanor offenders and state trusties must be housed in other facilities. When this happens the county is responsible for not only the transportation costs, but also for the housing of those prisoners at the other facilities.

“Transportation is costly and is, honestly, the most vulnerable time for incarcerated inmates. It is a liability to transport an image from point A to point B,” said Warren County Supervisor Edward Herring. “Once it’s up and operational, there is no longer that obstacle for the community.”

The new jail will be able to accommodate 250 inmates, but Sheriff Martin explained it is not ideal to function at 100 percent capacity because there is no maneuverability for prisoners who may need to be moved to a different portion of the jail.

With the increase in the size of the jail there will be an additional cost in adequately staffing the facility, but some of the costs will be offset because the county will no longer need to transport and pay other facilities to house Warren County inmates.

Additionally, the facility will be able to house state trusties. The trusties will have been given full trusty status and will be able to help Warren County with supervised labor such as picking up litter, maintaining parks and recreational facilities

Sheriff Pace said he is actively looking to hire additional correctional officers and other staff members for the jail. He said applications may be picked up at the Sheriff’s Office located at 1000 Grove Street in Vicksburg.

“There will be a learning curve,” said Sheriff Pace. “But all current and new staff will be trained in the state- of-the-art facility.”

Sheriff Pace also said he will host an open house at the jail before prisoners are in residence. This will be an opportunity for the public to view and see the modern facility, although, due to security concerns, some areas will remain sealed to the public.

“I really want to say I appreciate the Board of Supervisors and their willingness to take on this long term challenge,” said Sheriff Pace.

An announcement on the date of the open house will be made once final preparations are reached.