COLUMBUS, Ind. – The Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) announced this week that a project was just completed to operate the Bartholomew County Jail (BCJ) more efficiently given the current realities.
Sheriff Chris Lane said he is always looking for opportunities that improve service to the community and allow the department to operate more effectively and efficiently, thus reducing the cost to the taxpayer.
The corrections team has found a way to temporarily move all current inmates into the new portion of BCJ, eliminating the need to have Corrections Officers spread over the larger area. This change will make it more efficient to manage day-to-day operations, improve the work-life balance of the staff, and reduce the amount of overtime worked by corrections employees due to current understaffing.
BCJ employees will continue to maintain and improve the unused jail pods and cells when the inmate population grows requiring the need to restart usage of the space. This move will also allow the contractors to complete the installation of the HVAC renovation project which will provide relief from the heat for the inmates in the coming summer months.
The BCSO drug treatment programs offered by the jail will not be affected by this change.
The sheriff said, “I applaud the efforts of the Corrections team on this jail configuration project. It’s always a part of our mission to constantly look for opportunities for improvement.”
