In the Jailhouse Now

In the Jailhouse Now

Sheriff Tom Spangler invites County Commission to talk overcrowdingat the county detention center.

by jesse fox mayshark • october 9, 2018

Since taking office a month ago, Knox County Sheriff Tom Spangler has been ringing the alarm about overcrowding in the county detention center on Maloneyville Road.
The jail is full, but 80 percentof the prisoners have not been tried yet.
With a capacity of 1,036 beds across its 19 units (or “pods” as the vaguely futuristic penal terminology has it), it has in recent months sometimes exceeded 1,200 prisoners. Spangler has talked about the need for more beds, at a cost of up to $40 million.
That kind of spending would need the approval of Knox County Commission, and on Wednesday, commissioners will get to see the situation up close for themselves. Spangler has invited all Commission...