Officials consider multiple options for future of Latah County Jail

LATAH COUNTY, Idaho -- The future of the Latah County Jail is up in the air as the county commissioners work to figure out the failing facility's potential options moving forward.

Over the summer, the Moscow Fire Department inspected the jail, located in the basement of the Latah County Courthouse.

MFD found several issues with the jail including problems with the emergency exits and the fire suppression system.

The county commissioners met on October 8 to discuss the future of the jail.

"It does feel like we are coming to a place where all of the insufficiencies are coming together at the same time," said Commissioner Tom Lamar.

In addition to the fire code issues, the plumbing is also failing.

The jail was built in 1972 and originally had 50 beds. Today, it can only accommodate 35 inmates.

The Latah County Sheriff's Office has presented a few potential future options for the jail.

One option is to regionalize the jail and send inmates to Nez Perce County, which has a larger, more up-to-date facility.

Another option is to repair the failing jail, which would cost a few million dollars.

A third option would be to build a new law enforcement facility for Latah County, which would cost an estimated $30-40 million, not including the cost of land.

The county commissioners and LCSO discussed covering the cost of whatever option is chosen with a community sales tax bond or by talking with the state legislature to change how jails are funded.

Until a more concrete plan is decided, Latah County inmates will soon be displaced until a permanent solution is chosen.

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