Overcrowded, outdated Anderson County jail moves closer to replacement with new nonprofit

Anderson County's detention center was considered state-of-the-art in 1954, but today the facility burdened by overcrowding and deteriorating conditions.

The county is now establishing a new nonprofit, the Anderson County Detention Facilities Corporation, as a first step toward a new permanent jail.

This four-person board will begin the process of securing funds and vetting a design and construction firm for the creation of a new detention center to save and generate revenue for the county while creating more room for inmates.

"We need to make sure we do the right project," Brett Sanders, newly appointed president of Anderson County Detention Facilities Corporation. "To build, to suit what Anderson County needs, not someone on the outside coming in and building what we don't need."

The new nonprofit is forming in response to South Carolina Department of Corrections' standards for jails.

During SCDC's annual inspections, it deemed Anderson's detention center in need of repairs and upgrading, David Baker said, director of Anderson County Detention Center, and Sanders has called the facility "deplorable."

Budget: As Anderson County passes budget, bonds could later pay for new jail, chairman says

After solidifying funding, the group will meet with engineers and companies who specialize in building jails, along with construction businesses, to then determine the timeline for a new detention facility.

The proposed new jail would be built on the same grounds as the current building.

New design intended for safety and to save money

At the end of June 2022, the Anderson County Detention Center was overpopulated by nearly 130 people, and within three weeks, that number increased to 200 bodies over capacity. 

The detention center has converted office space and dining areas into makeshift jail cells.

Some units that are only intended to house four inmates are holding up to 12.

And maintenance issues in a packed jail make it difficult to accomplish due to the close proximity of inmates and the space available to maneuver people — a feature the new jail is likely to alleviate.

"One of the designs we're looking at is a pod system," David Baker, captain and jail director at the Anderson Detention Center.

Unlike the current building, the new jail will be conceptualized to suit Anderson for years to come. Baker said they need to plan for what they currently need and for future growth.

A pod system would house sub-sections of prisoners in two levels of cells with a centralized, open living area with tables and metal seats.

The current Anderson Detention Center contains three smaller pod housing sections, and the hope would be to make pods a standard model of lodgment for inmates.

Baker will look at past detention center totals in population to determine how many beds will be deemed suitable for the new jail.

"We want the new design to eliminate inmates moving from one side of the building to another," Baker said. "To do maintenance and repairs and have plenty of room to work.

"It also makes it [the jail] cheaper to repair," he said.

There are also hopes for added amenities that could make the monthly cost of power, water and gas much cheaper, as Baker hopes for a new dayroom area, a recreation yard and more natural sunlight to shine into the building.

In addition, strategic placement of meeting rooms to pod cells would be a part of the design to prevent attorneys, counselors and inmates from needing to meet with clients in a different section of the new jail.

These new facility enhancements would help not only help Anderson but law enforcement in nearby jurisdictions.

"Again, it comes back to inmate movement," Baker said. "What's going to be the easiest, safest, and most cost-effective for longevity."

Transporting juveniles, no tax hike, potential costs

Preliminary estimated costs for a new jail are expected to total around $55 million, Amy Vitner, managing director at First Tryon Advisors, said.

First Tyron Advisors — a North Carolina-based company — will assist Anderson's Detention Corporation in search for the lowest total debt serviced per year through bank-based or public market funds.

If the jail were built and financed today, the interest rate would come at around 4%, Vitner said. By the time procurement for the new building starts, rates could be near 4.45%, costing the county thousands of additional dollars.

"Anderson County has a top-notch credit rating, so we will be able to secure financing or funding at a lot lower interest rate," Sanders, president of the detention facilities corporation, said.

An annual debt service of $4.2 million over a 25-year timetable is the overall anticipated preliminary cost.

Taxes for the citizens of Anderson County are not expected to increase when the proposed jail is built, spokesperson Burns said.

By creating a new jail and using the old buildings, the County would save nearly $15,000 per month — the same amount it costs to transport juvenile inmates back and forth to Columbia.

The current detention center spacing deficit calls for juvenile court proceedings to be accompanied by two deputies, which usually takes them five hours away from servicing Anderson County, at minimum.

By building a new jail, it would reduce the amount of time officers would spend on the road, transporting juveniles and also benefit neighboring communities who could be jailed in Anderson — another way to generate dollars with a new facility.

Previous coverage: When will Anderson have a new jail? Director plans within five years as overcrowding peaks

Only 10% of the detention center's population have already been sentenced, the rest of the inmates are still awaiting trial, according to Baker.

If no jail is built, the South Carolina Department of Corrections could build a jail on their own, and require Anderson County foot the bill.

There would be no control over what would be inside or what it would look like.

"We want something aesthetically pleasing, as well," Baker said. "We want to take into consideration to our neighbors, we want to keep that in mind with the design."

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A.J. Jackson is a general assignment reporter for the Independent Mail. Contact him by email at ajackson@gannett.com with story ideas and leads, also follow him on Twitter @AJhappened

This article originally appeared on Anderson Independent Mail: Anderson County Detention Facilities Corporation help new jail funding