Hancock County courthouse still without adequate holding cell

HANCOCK COUNTY, Miss. (WLOX) - When inmates are brought into the Hancock County Courthouse, the quicker they get before the judge, the better.

That’s because the lone holding cell is just not adequate.

“It’s virtually a closet,” said Hancock County Sheriff Rick Adam.

That’s despite a years-long request from Adam and constant grand jury recommendations.

Adam added that the courthouse can get crowded quickly.

“It can get quite a lot of them - anywhere from two to 20 - depending on if it’s arraignment day and they’re in jail and they’ve got to go before the judge, and we’ve got to bring them all over there,” he said.

Adam added that it can be a security risk.

“We’ve had some disruptions and stuff, but no major issues,” he said. “But it’s just a matter of time before it happens.”

A room right outside the courtroom serves as a waiting area for inmates and their security entourage, which is far from the security and convenience of a holding cell.

“The guys should be on alert at all times, but when you have that situation, yeah, everybody has to be on top of things,” he said.

The problem has been around since the beginning.

“There wasn’t enough foresight when it was built to start with,” he said.

Progress is not because of a lack of effort by the Board of Supervisors.

It’s because of a lack of money, and COVID-19 is to blame.

Original plans were set to add a new holding cell right as the pandemic began, and like everything else, the door closed quickly.

“I believe that had COVID not hit, it would have been in place already,” Adam said.

Now, the possibilities are limited because the cost has swelled to more than double the original $150,000 price tag.

Hancock County Board of Supervisors president Scotty Adam said that the original plans have not been taken off the table, but because of the increased price for labor and materials, the county will continue to look for alternative space already available in the courthouse that can be converted into a holding cell.

“Of course, when you’re dealing with government and engineers, it just takes time to get everything,” Adam added. “I’m not the only one that has to look at it. Everybody in the county has to look at it and approve it.”

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