Prisoners sit in the common area of one of the cell blocks in the new Bledsoe County Detention Center in Pikeville, Tenn.BY THE NUMBERS• 96: Number of beds• 76: Jail population on day of inspection• 53: Average daily population• 9: Staff positions created for new facility• 15: Hires since last inspection• $878,900: Annual jail budget• June 8, 2011: Date of state certificationSource: Tennessee Corrections Institute
Bledsoe County has a state-certified jail for the first time in its history.
“We’re very tickled,” Sheriff Jimmy Morris said. The road to a new jail was an “uphill battle” for the county, but the $7.4 million Bledsoe County Detention Center will meet needs for years to come, he said.
“It’s taken a lot of hard work and lot of dedication from the jail administrator and the jailers,” Morris said.
State certification means Bledsoe can receive the full rate for housing state prisoners, $35 a day, which will help offset operational costs.