Riverside County Jail Plan Touted as Low-Cost

Riverside County Supervisor Jeff Stone unveiled a plan Monday for a new central jail that could offer a cheaper, larger and more quickly built alternative to the county’s original jail proposal.

A new facility is being discussed to help stem the early release of inmates from Riverside County’s crowded system.

According to Stone’s proposal, presented at a county workshop, the $150-million project would be funded by a partnership in which a private entity would build the 5,000-bed structure and then lease it to the county.

Prefabricated concrete walls would be used for the jail, which Stone estimates would take about 18 months to complete, compared with nearly six years for the county’s plan.

“We need the jail capacity today,” Stone said. “We have to build things we can afford.”

Sheriff Bob Doyle said he was excited about Stone’s plan, which he described as feasible.

“I think the private-public-sector marriage is a good one,” said Doyle, who for several years has advocated expanding the county’s five-jail, 3,200-inmate system.

If Stone’s design can make more beds available faster, “it’s a win-win,” Doyle said.

The board expressed reservations about a possible quarter-cent-on-the-dollar sales-tax increase to fund the county’s initial proposal for an $873-million, 3,000-bed jail.

Supervisor John F. Tavaglione, who opposes a tax hike to finance the jail, said the county would need to coordinate closely with city and law enforcement officials to promote such a measure.

“If the sales tax issue is going to continue to be out there, we’ve got a lot of work to do” to get the two-thirds support from the voters, Tavaglione said.

A new tax measure would not appear on the ballot until at least June 2008, county planners said.

Supervisor Marion Ashley also rejected several proposed sites for the jail, including parcels near Moreno Valley and Mead Valley, because of nearby development or other planned uses.

Ashley said the San Gorgonio tract, west of Palm Springs near Interstate 10, was the most promising location, adding that the new jail would probably be in his central district. Supervisors said they hoped to soon buy land for the site.

Ashley also pushed to increase a planned 480-bed expansion at Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility in Banning.