EDGAR COUNTY, Ill. (WAND) - It has been a race against the clock for the Edgar County Jail to re-home its inmates.
That is after its insurance policy would no longer cover the jail building, because of poor conditions.
The jail normally houses around 30 inmates, and WAND News has learned jail leaders have successfully found other locations to put the inmates. Edgar County Board Chairman Jeff Voigt said the jail is now empty.
He said the majority of inmates have gone to counties like Clark, Douglas, and Coles.
More new information he was able to share is how efficient the process is going to be to handle newly arrested prisoners. Voigt said inmates will be able to be booked at the Edgar County Jail, then taken to other jails by special transportation officers.
This means patrol officers for Paris and Edgar County will be able to continue keeping the area safe, instead of having to take those who are arrested all the way to these other jails.
Voigt said as leaders move forward to make decisions about the future of the jail, they do want the community involved.
"We hear a lot at the coffee shops and everywhere else, but we do want to hear. We do want support, and we want to continue to develop support for what we're trying to do in the county in all areas, especially in the jail right now," he shared.
Voigt said the price tag to transport and re-house inmates is projected at around $380,000.
He said leaders are hopeful they will be able to get at least part of the jail re-opened in a few months. However, specific plans for the jail have not been ironed out yet.
As for the employees that had to be laid off, Voigt said as part of their severance package, they will be put on paid leave starting November 30, and that will run through some time in December. He said the goal is once the county can house inmates again, to bring these employees back on to work.
