New jail will likely prevent violence

By Staff
Yesterday morning inmates at the county jail engaged in an argument in which resulted in injuries. The situation at the jail could have been avoided because the instrument used in the attack believed to be from an area where work had been done to the jail.
When the new jail is complete and the inmates have been moved, incidents like this one should be a thing of the past. The new jail is a state of the art faculty complete with teleconference visitation and telemedicine capabilities.
While moving day is still unclear, the sheriff's department, its personnel and the inmates are anxiously waiting to relocate. The jail is expected to be open by summer.
Besides providing a safer environment for the inmates and personnel, the new jail will also provide more security for the community.
The Franklin County Jail houses a number of violent offenders while they await trial, and it seems the alleged crimes of these inmates get worse on a daily basis. Each county resident deserves to be protected from serious offenders. Sheriff Plott has spoken to several civic groups about the importance in the new jail. One of the main issues he stresses is that our county was trying to avoid federal mandates, which would have cost the county more money in the end.
We applaud the county commission for recognizing the importance of a safe and secure jail. We applaud the sheriff for his efforts in making the new jail a reality.