Cook County plans to demolish three jail buildings

Cook County will demolish three buildings in its jail complex in Chicago, a move officials say will reduce the facility's population to its lowest level since 1991 and save more than $3 million in operating costs next year.

"This is a huge step toward a criminal justice system that is more efficient and responsive to individual circumstances and less costly to taxpayers," Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle said in an announcement of the plan. "Bringing down the jail population is allowing us to bring down buildings and bring down costs. As we see declines in the number of detainees, it is logical and fiscally responsible to reduce the number of divisions at the jail."

Under the plan, the county will close and demolish Divisions 1, 3 and 17 of the jail near 26th and California. In addition to the immediate savings on operating costs, the plan is expected to save $188 million in capital costs over the next decade, officials said.

"These three buildings were built as far back as the 1920s and are in need of constant and costly repairs," Sheriff Tom Dart said.

Officials say that an increased focused on diversionary tactics for nonviolent offenders, including the use of electronic monitoring, has reduced the jail population by more than 20 percent.

Under Phase 1 of the plan, Divisions 3 and 17 - which are a combined 135,000-square-feet - will be demolished next year. Demolition of the 344,000-square-foot Division 1 will take place in 2018.

When finished, jail capacity will be about 9,600 down from 11,300, officials say.

"When it comes to jails, bigger doesn't always necessarily mean better," said Commissioner Stanley Moore, a Democrat from Chicago who chairs the county board's Law Enforcement Committee. "I am glad to see one of the largest jail systems in the country getting smaller in a responsible manner. Shrinking the jail campus can have a positive societal and financial impact in Cook County."

The announcement can be seen as another step in the county's effort to reform its criminal justice system, a key part of which is reducing the number of nonviolent offenders held in jail while awaiting trial.