SHAWANO COUNTY, WI – Shawano County leaders are continuing discussions about potential renovations to the county jail as officials look to address space limitations and modern inmate housing requirements.
Shawano County Sheriff George Lenzner says much of the current jail facility is showing its age, with large portions of the building dating back to the mid-1950s.
“The majority of it is still 1956. It was just remodeled, so the piping and everything’s old,” Lenzner said. “We’re going to keep the sheriff’s office because our needs are in the jail. We need another jail pod.”
Lenzner says adding another jail pod would help the county meet current standards for housing inmates, but the challenge goes beyond simply increasing the number of beds available.
According to Lenzner, one of the biggest issues is complying with state inmate classification requirements. Those rules require jails to separate inmates based on factors such as security risk, behavior, medical needs, gender, and other considerations.
“The state came up with the inmate classification, and we just lack the space to abide by these rules,” Lenzner said.
County officials say additional space would allow the jail to properly house inmates while meeting those classification standards.
The Shawano County Board of Supervisors is expected to have the final say on how the project moves forward. Board members are scheduled to vote on previously presented options during their annual meeting on March 25.
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