For 38 inmates, tent jail is now home

Thirty-eight inmates camped outside in the El Paso County Criminal Justice Center parking lot Monday night.

They slept on bunk beds inside a 12,000-square-foot canvas tent — the newest inmate accommodations set up by the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office.

Since they’re work-release inmates classified as low-level nonviolent offenders, they spend the day at their jobs, then return to the tent at night to hit the sack, said sheriff’s spokesman Lt. Clif Northam.

“They only come to sleep,” he said.

Sheriff Terry Maketa hopes the tent will alleviate crowded conditions at the CJC, which hit record inmate numbers in January.

Maketa has been lobbying for a new jail costing an estimated $25 million to $40 million.

County officials cut the work-release program Jan. 1 to save an estimated $700,000 per year, then reinstated it in February, pledging to renovate the downtown Metro Jail to house those inmates. The Metro Jail was closed in 2004 because of safety concerns.

Once the estimated $2.5 million renovation is complete, tent inmates will be housed there.

The tent jail opened Sunday night, admitting 22 inmates, Northam said. About 200 inmates can fit comfortably inside, he said.

Gas and electric lines supply heat and power to the tent. Both require building permits, said Curtis Martinell of the Pikes Peak Regional Building Department.

The department has approved the gas permit and is waiting for subcontractors to fix a few minor problems with the electrical system, Martinell said.

Since the tent is a temporary structure, it doesn’t require any further building permits, he said.

Inside the tent, carpet covers the plywood floors, and vending machines offer snacks. No other meals are served, Northam said.

Adjacent modular buildings contain restrooms for the inmates but no showers, he said.

An undisclosed number of deputies guard the fenced-in area, he said. Inmates know that if they try to escape the tent they’ll be taken off work release and sent to regular jail.

“We’re really not worried about them leaving,” Northam said.

The cost to build and maintain the tent could be about $200,000 per year, Sheriff Maketa said earlier.

In 1993, the Maricopa County, Ariz., sheriff set up a “tent city” jail that can house up to 2,000 inmates.

CONTACT THE WRITER: 636-0274 or jennifer.wilson@gazette.com