David Weller, left, and Mark Kukuvka, both with LaBella Associates, give a presentation about adding a new section to the Chautauqua County Jail and later tear the oldest portion of the jail down. P-J photo by Gregory Bacon

MAYVILLE – One county official is going on record expressing concerns about the cost of a new section to the jail.

During the Chautauqua County Legislature meeting, Legislator Fred Larson, D-Jamestown, said he has a hard time justifying spending $120 million for an addition for a jail from a county with 120,000 people.

Larson is a retired city court judge and said he is familiar with the jail and its functions. “My lifetime experience in county government and in the criminal court tells me we can and must do better for our residents than a $120 million further investment in the county jail,” he said.

Larson’s comments were made after David Weller and Mark Kukuvka, both with LaBella Associates, gave their presentation on what the jail will need in the future.

Before the presentation, Sheriff Jim Quattrone said that the state is not requiring the county to replace the 1939 section of the jail yet, but it may in the future. “I’m trying to be proactive here,” he said.

Quattrone noted a portion of the jail is over 80 years old, operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and has “tenants that aren’t always the most respectful of the property.”

Quattrone said finding parts to replace sections of the old jail is difficult. “It’s starting to fall apart and it’s starting to nickel and dime us. We have to go to machine shop fabricators in the county to get parts to keep the jail functioning and keep blocks running,” he said.

Quattrone believes a new section of the jail would be beneficial to both inmates and staff alike. “I think it’s important that we treat everybody, not only our employees, but those who are incarcerated, with the dignity and respect that they deserve,” he said, adding, “Their punishment should be losing their freedom, not being in a housing facility that’s subpar,” he said.

JAIL NEEDS

LaBella Associates partnered with Justice Planners to do the jail assessment needs.

Back in 2016, there was a peak of 300 people incarcerated in the jail.

The low occurred in August 2020 during the pandemic, when there were only a little over 100 people incarcerated.

The consultants believe that over the next 25 years, fewer males will be incarcerated.

They used different forecast models.

One estimated that the jail will generally need to have between 150 and 200 people in the jail.

Another forecast estimates that the jail population will rise close to 230 people. This forecast imagines that bookings will be similar to pre-COVID levels, before bail reform.

A third forecast includes federal prisoners and has bookings topping 300 people. The federal government pays Chautauqua County to house its prisoners.

The consultants settled on a jail with 224 beds, which would mean the county would no longer house federal inmates.

To get the jail to have 224 beds without the older portion, the consultants proposed building a new addition and once the addition is up having the 1939 portion torn down and make that a parking lot.

RESPONSE

Larson noted that in 2005 the county legislature authorized a $16 million bond, which included a 20-bed housing unit, a jail kitchen and a 96-bed housing unit.

Before that, the state had been giving Chautauqua County permission to double bunk inmates but eventually took that permission away, which is when the county moved forward with the expansion.

Even though the oldest portion of the jail is from 1939, Larson questioned if it is still usable for the foreseeable future. He noted that Jamestown High School is even older. “No one, happily, is proposing tearing down the 1935 high school and making it into a parking lot, even though New York state government would probably pay 98% for such a mistake,” he said.

He asked that if the 1939 section can no longer hold inmates, could it be renovated for other jail services and functions.

Larson proposed housing sentenced Chautauqua County inmates at neighboring county jails since they generally don’t need to be transported often.

Larson also shared how during the COVID-19 pandemic judges were able to arraign defendants electronically. “We were able to hold pre-trial conferences with defendants and their attorneys on TV. There was no jail transport needs except for a time the defendant was ready to enter a plea or to be sentenced,” he said.

Once the pandemic ended, virtual court appearances went away. Larson argued that perhaps the state could bring back the virtual court appearances, which would make it easier to house inmates elsewhere.

After Larson spoke, Quattrone disagreed and invited the Jamestown Democrat to take a tour of the jail so he could see first-hand what it looks like.

After the legislature meeting, Larson said he has been inside multiple times and understands its condition.

No other elected leader expressed doubt or concerns of the project.

Legislator Terry Niebel, R-Sheridan, asked about building higher floors, which the consultants said was considered but ruled out due to various reasons.

Afterward, Republican Majority Leader Jamie Gustafson of Lakewood, who served as the chairperson for the evening since Pierre Chagnon was not in attendance, said they will take the information back to the various committees for further discussion and analysis.