The Beginning

On February 7th, 1835 the Indiana Legislature approved the formation of Jay county. In 1836 Governor Noble appointed Christopher Hanna as the Sheriff. Henderson Graves was the first elected Sheriff of Jay County. Sheriff Graves served from 1837 to 1838. In the beginning, Indiana Sheriff’s could only serve two, 2 year terms for a total of 4 years. Sometime in the 1940’s the term limitations were changed to two consecutive 4 year terms for a total of eight years. The limitations set forth in this change are still followed today.

The Jails of Jay County

The first Jay County jail was built by Josh Pennock in the late 1830’s for $181. However, county commissioners sued Mr. Pennock due to breech of contract. The first jail was a poorly built log house located on the lot where the courthouse is today. At one point a Blackford County man was convicted of stealing a log chain and sentenced to three or four days imprisonment. Since they were having problems with the jail, Sheriff Hawkins took the man to his home with him where he rocked the Sheriff’s baby cradle until his time was served.

In January of 1840, John Pingry was awarded the contract to build the county’s second jail for a cost of $800. The jail is pictured with the courthouse. This view is from Main Street looking northwest.

The third jail was built in 1862 for a cost of $6,600. The jail was built by W.H. & M. Montgomery. No information can be found as to where exactly it was located. During the construction of the third jail, the original one was sold for $32. It was demolished and later converted into the wagon repair shop of S.H. Williams.

The fourth jail was built in 1900. It was located at the northwest corner of the intersection of Water and Commerce Streets. This is where the parking lot for the current jail is located. The jail was built by Pauley Jail Building and Manufacturing Company. It cost approximately $30,000 to build.

Here is a picture of the jail in 1984. You notice that the dormers have been removed and the front porch has been changed. Also, if you look at the bottom left corner of the picture you can see the current jail as it is being constructed.

The fifth jail was built in 1984 for a cost of $1,355,306. It was designed to house 27 inmates. During Sheriff Robinette’s administration there were problems with overcrowding in the jail. Sheriff Robinette double bunked most of the cells and brought the cell capacity to 47 with a maximum capacity with all isolation and receiving cells to 55 inmates.

In November of 2008 the voters of Jay County were asked their opinion on whether or not the Jay County Security Center should undergo an expansion due to overcrowding of the current facility. The issue was put on the ballot during the General Election and the citizens voted for an expansion.

In April 2009 the former Ford dealership located on the southeast corner of Ship St. & Main St. was demolished in order to make room for the expansion. The contract was awarded to A. Landon Excavating of Portland for a cost just under $30,000.

In August of 2009 the contract for the expansion was awarded to Weigand Construction, a Ft. Wayne firm, for a price of $7,320,000. The project was expected to be completed in March of 2011. The sheriff’s office hired an additional six correctional officers to help operate the larger facility. The employees of the sheriff’s office were excited and looked forward to the completion of the project. The project was completed in a three phase process.

The first phase of the project was the new expansion of the north end of the jail consisting of a pod system with a central control tower, located on the second floor of the jail. The jail has five cellblocks; two of the cellblocks are dormitories. Inmates will use the new indoor/outdoor recreational area with a large secured overhead door to let outside air in. The booking area has a holding cell, large drunk tank, padded cell, and six receiving cells with a capacity to hold 10 inmates. The booking area also has a medical office, exam room, and a medical isolation cell with a capacity to hold two inmates. Also, the north end expansion included a new and larger kitchen and laundry facility that was added to replace the smaller and outdated facilities on the south end of the jail. The Security Center will use an inmate video visitation and a video arraignment system for the Jay Circuit and Superior courts. On September 13th, 2010, inmates were moved to the newly completed 112-bed expansion on the north side of the jail.

The second phase of the expansion project was to increase the administration area of the sheriff’s office. The renovation added much needed offices, training room, armory, and evidence room. Emergency Management also moved to the sheriff’s office. Four out of the seven cellblocks that were in the old jail were renovated to house women, work release, trustees, and three isolations cells for a total of 31 beds.

The third and final phase of the project enlarged the 911 center from two dispatch areas, implemented in 1997, to four stations. Offices for the 911 Director and the IDACS Coordinator were also completed in this phase, along with a secretary office for incoming visitors. The sally port of the south end of the jail was renovated into a main lobby area. In the main lobby area is a room consisting of six visitation monitors.

Today, the current jail is capable of housing 152 inmates at full capacity. There were over 1,100 individuals processed into the Jay County Security Center for the year 2013. 78 percent of the individuals processed were male and only 22 percent were female. The staff of the Corrections Division consists of a Jail Commander, 2 Sergeants, as well as 18 Corrections Officers.