Pitkin County Jail to Install Digital Cameras, Become ADA Compliant

March 22, 2016 2446 Views Alexander Building Construction Co., incarceration alternatives, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Laurie Uherek, Western U.S.

ASPEN, Colo. — Not only is the Pitkin County Jail in Aspen being constructed to become compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), but the project will also involve installing new digital cameras to replace a system that is more than a decade old.

While the current camera system allows dispatch to monitor inmate transport throughout the facility and record movement in the booking room and observation cell, it is still analog and cannot accommodate new technologies, reported Aspen Daily News. A newer camera system would help provide clearer images of operations in the jail and can even be instrumental in providing evidence refuting allegations of abuse by staff, a county memo stated.

County commissioners approved the new $67,000 camera upgrade earlier this month. It will include replacing all 30 current cameras, while also installing two, 42-inch video monitors and four new cameras to help appease blind spots. A larger $48 million county administration renovation and remodel project, scheduled to begin this fall, also includes the cost of adding four fixed cameras in its budget allocation, according to Aspen Daily News.

As part of the jail remodel, one of the cells is being made ADA compliant, including the addition of a compliant stainless-steel shower, and a new fire sprinkler system is being installed, Pitkin County Jail Administrator Don Bird told the commissioners. He added that additional cameras are urged for all facilities under the Prison Rape Elimination Act, according to Aspen Daily News.

During the construction project to make the jail ADA compliant, scheduled to begin in May, inmates will be transferred to nearby facilities. Construction is scheduled to take four to six weeks, and the jail will remain open to booking, bonding and work release. Commissioners Rachel Richards asked the jail administrator to see if the old cameras could be reused by at another community facility such as a local nonprofit, reported the Aspen Daily News.