Safety improvements are going to be made to the stairway and second floor railings inside six of the seven pods at the Jasper County Jail. The Jasper County Supervisors have approved a $48,750 project that will be carried out one pod at a time, late this summer or early this fall. Jasper County Maintenance Director Adam Sparks recommended the safety upgrade.

“All the pods except one are double-deckers. They have a stairwell that goes up to the second floor and a three-foot rail that goes across the second floor. It just gives every opportunity for something bad to happen. What this is going to do is attach to all the current rails there, and extend them to the ceiling. So anyone in a pod does not have the chance to climb out over the rail. The only way to get down is to go down the stairs.”

Jasper County Sheriff Brad Shutts notes the extended railing will also limit inmates ability to throw objects down from the second floor. This project will be carried out by VS Fab Works in Colfax.