New jail: Detention center will be valuable addition to county

Family and friends of the late Sheriff Carey Winders joined public officials in cutting the ribbon on the new Carey Winders Detention Center on William Street Friday.

The jail will be a valuable addition to the county, not only because it will provide more space to house inmates and therefore cut the cost of having to send some to lockups in other counties -- which costs the county taxpayers about $1 million a year -- but because it should provide enough room for Wayne to house a few inmates from other counties, which would make the county some money.

The facility will house minimum security inmates, freeing up space in the existing jail on courthouse square for more serious offenders.

The jail was a favorite project of the late Winders, who died in 2014. His family said Friday he would be proud to have his name on it and thanked officials for recognizing him with the honor.

We think the county has made a good investment in the jail. It should wind up saving the county a lot of money in the long run. And they couldn't have chosen a better name.

Published in Editorials on January 23, 2017 9:36 AM