Ingham County jail built in 1960s gets torn down
MASON — The last parts of the decades-old and decommissioned Ingham County jail are being demolished.
The county is currently using a new $80 million justice complex that includes the new jail that replaced the one built in the 1960s.
Decommissioned in 2019, the old jail was built in 1963 and grew with an expansion in the early 1980s. Several of the 10 units in the old jail have already been demolished, a process that started in early 2021, said Chief Deputy Darin Southworth of the Ingham County Sheriff's Office.
The current demolition is expected to wrap up by the end of July, Southworth said. In its place will be a parking lot and landscaping.
The old jail had problems with flooding, deteriorating walls and functional deficiencies before being closed.
The new jail is smaller, with 417 beds currently and an expected 429 beds in September, after some interior construction is done, Southworth said.
The old jail, when all 10 housing units were active, could fit 600 inmates but those numbers dropped due to staffing, budgets and changes in the judicial system, Southworth said. From 2017 until February, when the last inmates were moved to the new units, the former jail had a capacity of 444.
In 2018, voters approved an 0.85-mill tax for the new justice center, an extra $85 per year for a home with a taxable value of $100,000. The millage also supported programs for inmates.
"We certainly want to thank Ingham County residents for supporting this much-needed millage and assure them we are fulfilling commitments and responsibly managing the funds," Southworth said.
Contact Mike Ellis at mellis@lsj.com or 517-267-0415
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Ingham County jail built in 1960s gets torn down
