What to do with that jail.(PERSPECTIVES)(Editorial)

Byline: John Hamner

I see in the papers where the U.S. government, through its immigration service, is going to stop using Manatee County's downtown jail. I'm confident the county can stand the financial loss. I hope it can stand the debates about what to do with the jail now.

It was said to be a very good design, on the fortress style, when it was built. It was also said to be a monster, stuck there in the middle of town -- which everyone knows is no place to build a jail. Of course there had been one atop the courthouse since it was built in 1916.

I may have some responsibility for its being there, if you think that county commissioners ever do what editors tell them to.

Every layer of government that has jail inspectors, including some circuit judges who could see for themselves, insisted we could no longer use the original jail. The commissioners and sheriffs had done their best, but ancient is ancient. It was enlarged when the courthouse was pushed southward to the sidewalk somewhere back in the '80s or '90s, and some improvements were made but it was not likely to win any awards.

I got a tour of the place once with Sally McCammon, who was (former Sheriff) Tom Burton's chief jailer. She was a decent human being who thought that at the least no prisoner deserved to burn to death behind bars. And that was a danger.

That was back before we elected Charlie Wells sheriff. He has been pretty creative in handling prisoners, such as making them grow their own food, and he has been good at persuading commissioners to spend money. And smart in getting everything moved out to Port Manatee. Most of it is outside the flood plain, and no doubt he will have enough warning time to move them somewhere when THE hurricane comes along.