The DeKalb County Jail has received another year of certification after the County Commission voted to move forward with exploring building a jail only at its latest commission meeting. At a Tennessee Corrections Institute Board of Control meeting on December 4, in Nashville, the board voted to continue certification of the jail for another year under a plan of action. The vote came under the recommendation of TCI Deputy Director Bob Bass. County Mayor Matt Adcock, Sheriff Patrick Ray, and Jail Committee Chairman Larry Green attended the TCI Board meeting.

According to Sheriff Ray, the DeKalb County Jail, as of December 5, 2024, has 50 inmates and 30 others from DeKalb County are in other jails where the county pays a daily rate to house them. The number of inmates fluctuates regularly.

Under a “plan of action” the jail maintains certified status while demonstrating to the TCI Board of Control that the facility is making measurable progress over a period of time (months or years) to rectify deficiencies found during inspection. The jail has been under a plan of action with the Tennessee Corrections Institute since 2019.

During the last election, area voters rejected in a referendum the issuance of general obligation bonds for the proposed construction of a 190-bed judicial center/jail in an amount not to exceed $65 million.

Since the defeat, the DeKalb Jail Committee voted unanimously to drop the proposed judicial center for that of a jail only. The full commission voted in favor of the proposal at its last meeting.

Bass, who is soon retiring from his position as TCI Deputy Director, will remain as a consultant and he plans to meet with the jail committee again on January 6 to give advice on the next step in this process.