Beyond Bars: $49 million jail renovation raises questions about our jail system

Yes, prison is punishment, and maybe it shouldn't be so nice, but how does it ultimately impact our communities?

Critics of a $49 million renovation for the Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail have accused the jail’s superintendent and board members of pushing the project forward with little public engagement and pushing out board members who’ve gotten in the way. Critics say adequate improvements could be made for much less and that public funds would be better spent on ways to keep people out of jail.

However, for years now that’s exactly what's been happening.

In 2008, the ACRJ reported as many as 600 inmates, and in 2010 as many as 550 inmates. At the time, a $25 million jail expansion was being considered to address overcrowding, but so were new ideas about alternatives to incarceration

"We have filled our jails and prisons with nonviolent offenders–it's time to reverse that trend…and make better use of our money," declared former Charlottesville commonwealth'…