Counties In Central Indiana Address Jail Overcrowding

ANDERSON, Ind. (AP) — Three central Indiana counties have been working over the past five years to address jail overcrowding by building or upgrading facilities.

A new 220-inmate facility featuring a 16-bed work release center was built in Miami County in 2010. The $17 million facility also includes a separate building for the administrative offices of the Miami County Sheriff's Department.

Tipton County hopes to start construction next year on a new 60- to 70-bed jail. Commissioner Joe VanBibber tells the Herald Bulletin that officials want the facility to house administrative offices for the Tipton County Sheriff's Department and the Tipton Police Department.

In Howard County, the indoor recreation room inside a jail constructed in 1993 was converted into a 36-bed cell for non-violent offenders in 2013. The former county could be converted into a work release center.