New county jail still empty

POUGHKEEPSIE – The construction of the new Dutchess County Justice and Transition Center (DCJTC) has been stalled and the inmates are still being held in the existing county jail.  The construction began in 2021 and was expected to be completed in May of 2023, according to original reports.  The inmates were to be housed in the new DCJTC by August of this year.  The $134 million project was originally funded in 2016 after years of debate among lawmakers and the unwillingness of former County Executive William Steinhaus to address the needs at the existing jail.

Despite knowing that the homeless shelter pods were on the site, there was no plan to decommission and vacate them until the county presented a plan to buy a property on Oakley Street and move the sheltered people to the new building.  County officials argued that the pods needed to be removed because they were interfering with the construction of the stormwater management system.  The pods are still in use and the move into the DCJTC is slowly moving forward.

Sheriff’s Office Colonel Gerry Lennon recently told Mid-Hudson News that a local moving company has been contracted to help with the transition from the jail to the DCJTC while maintaining the security of both facilities.  The moving date for the inmates has not been scheduled as of September 1, 2023.

According to Lennon, the new facility cannot be populated until it receives final approval from the New York State Commission on Corrections (COC).  “The COC has been involved in the building process and has been a valuable asset to the transition team, providing guidance and training through all phases of the construction process,” the colonel said.  The county’s transition team developed a “Move Plan” that Lennon says has been submitted to the COC for review and approval.

Once the COC approves the Move Plan and gives final approval of the facility, Sheriff Kirk Imperati will determine a date for the move and the relocation…