Canadian County Jail Running Short on Space

By Colleen Chen, NEWS 9

EL RENO, Oklahoma -- Canadian County is the fastest growing county in the state, but the county jail doesn't have the space to catch up.

"The average county jail has four beds. We've got less than one bed per 1,000," said Canadian County Sheriff Randall Edwards.

The jail is supposed to hold 72 inmates but has been holding as many as 120. The overcrowding has led to hostility between inmates who are forced to sleep on the floor. Now there are concerns for the safety of officers in the jail.

But Edwards said the spacing problems will begin to trickle outside of the jail if something is not done soon.

"What people are going to have to realize is if we don't have a facility to put inmates in, we can't service warrants. We can't put people who need to be in jail, in jail," Edwards said.

In early August, the jail was labeled as not compliant because of the space issue, and inspectors threatened to fine the county $10,000 a day. Since Sheriff Edwards took office in January, he and his staff have worked to repair leaks and open spaces in the jail.

The hard work paid off. That's because since everything besides the overcrowding in the jail is up to code, inspectors agreed to waive the fine as long as county leaders worked to get a new jail.

The Canadian County Sheriff will meet with architects on Thursday to see drafts of the potential new jail.

Voters could see the issue on the ballot by January. Last year, residents voted against building a new jail.

If voters again choose not to fund a jail, the Department of Justice could come in and build a facility on its own. However, the bill would go to the county and right back to taxpayers. That's why supporters of a new jail said it's better to pass a local bond.