Alan Mauldin
The Moultrie Observer
MOULTRIE —
Colquitt County is looking at a recycling project on a large scale -- putting the state prison detention center slated to close this month into use to house the county’s prisoners.
The Georgia Department of Corrections announced Monday that it will close the 222-bed facility at the end of the month.
In a news release, the agency said that closing the Southwest Probation Detention Center in Moultrie will save the state $2.1 million a year.
The county has recognized the need to either renovate or replace its correctional facilities, and has money earmarked in the current Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax to begin that process, County Administrator Bryan Shuler said Tuesday.
The state facility, which will close May 31, could fit the bill, he said.
“We are interested in discussing the detention center and seeing what options are available,” he said. “Purchasing could be one, leasing could be another to look at as an alternative to our existing correctional institute.”
Shuler said the county has not yet been in contact with the state on making a deal as it only recently learned of the closing.
Whether acquiring the detention center makes sense depends on the condition of the facility and how much money the county would have to put into it, he said.
“We’ve been in discussion about some major repairs or replacement for the current facility,” Shuler said. “This is something we want to take to the appropriate parties and see what kind of possibilities there might be. That’s the first step.”
The county houses about 200 state prisoners at its correctional facility. It is paid $30 per day per prisoner, and those inmates are used as laborers.
The state detention facility houses up to 222 male inmates and employs 50 people, the Department of Correction news release said. Those workers will be offered transfers, most within a 50-mile radius of Moultrie.
The agency did not respond Tuesday to a request for comment about its plans for the facility and whether it would consider a sale or lease to the county.
