Faced with a serious overcrowding problem at county jails, an Indiana sheriff is considering an unusual solution for housing prisoners.
Following a failed referendum to fund a new jail facility, Hancock County, Indiana, is considering an outside of the box solution for housing dozens of excess inmates — packing them into the state’s first “trailer jail.”
The Hancock County Sheriff’s Office says that they are considering purchasing semi trailers from a Missouri-based company in order to house excess prisoners.
Per the proposed plan, the semi trailers would be parked in the lot next to the jail and secured to the ground.
Chief Deputy Brad Burkhart told Fox 59, “The interior is converted into jail cells that are bunk-style systems with showers and bathrooms and every type of amenity that is necessary to actually house those inmates, so it is a secure facility in itself.”
Burkhart says that the trailers could house 100 inmates.
The plan to house prisoners in semi trailers would cost around $5 million and is pending the approval of county officials.
If the plan is approved, Hancock County would join Green County, Missouri, as one of the first law enforcement agencies in the country to house prisoners in trailers. Green County reports that it is much cheaper to house inmates in trailers rather than in a regular jail — about $22 per prisoner per day as opposed to $40-$50 per day.
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