SEAL BEACH : Plan to Revamp, Reopen Jail OKd

The City Council this week unanimously approved a plan to convert the city’s dormant jail into a privately run short-term detention center.

City officials expect the 32-bed facility to open later this year. The move is expected to eventually generate as much as $150,000 a year for the city.

The jail will house nonviolent inmates awaiting arraignment, usually within 48 hours of their arrest. It will be used by city police as well as neighboring law enforcement agencies.

City Manager Jerry L. Bankston stressed that the jail will accept only “low-risk” prisoners such as accused embezzlers, drunken drivers and white-collar criminals.

People accused of more serious crimes, such as rape, armed robbery and murder, will continue to be booked into County Jail in Santa Ana.

Council members on Monday expressed general support for the concept but peppered Bankston with questions about the safety of the facility.

City officials said that the vast majority of inmates will be held at the jail for less than a week. In special cases, a judge could order a convicted criminal to work at his job during the day and report to the jail to serve his sentence at night, Bankston said. Such an arrangement might occur with someone convicted of withholding child support payments, he said.

The City Council could close the jail for any reason within 180 days. The council must approve any changes in the jail design and in the category of suspects held there.

The city has entered into a contract with Correction Services Inc. to run the jail. The firm plans to spend $300,000 to renovate the facility, located in the basement of the police station on Seal Beach Boulevard.