The new Hall County Correctional Institute opened with a ceremonial ribbon cutting Friday by Warden Walt Davis, who touted his department's ability to bring the cost of the $7 million facility down nearly 50 percent.
"It's been a project that's been a year-and-a-half in the works. It's a 200 bed facility, and ... the county took a unique approach to managing this project. We acted as our own contractor," said Davis.
Utilizing prison labor during construction, among a host of other cost-saving factors, Davis said they were able to bring the cost down to $3.6 million.
"I think by any measure, that's a susbtantial savings for the taxpayers here in Hall County," said Davis.
The goal of the institute, Davis said, is to give the inmates a chance to learn from whatever mistake got them into the facility and eventually re-assimilate back into society.
"A county correctional facility is a facility that contracts with the state of Georgia to house state inmates ... A part of those inmates are in our re-entry program, and those are inmates who are convicted of felony offenses here in Hall or Dawson County, and they are sent to the state prison system. At some point, they all come back to our communities (after they've served their sentence)," said Davis.
The new facility utilizes a three-phase program, where inmates work on substance abuse issues, get educated to earn a GED or learn a vocational skill in conjunction with Lanier Technical College.
"We also work on getting sustainable employment. When we bring Hall and Dawson County residents back to this area, we set them up with a vocational skill and give them a job. They can keep that job (when they get out)," said Davis.
Workers can earn money at those jobs while still in the correctional institute, and Davis said he's seen inmates leave with as much as $12,000 in the bank.
Hall County Commission Chairman Dick Mecum, a former sheriff, spoke to the gathered crowd, praising the system Hall County has developed.
"These are not inmates. These are people, and they need to be treated as such," said Mecum.
He noted some of the changes he's seen since his time in law enforcement back in the 1980s.
"Hopefully we're on the right track, and people won't be coming back (to the correctional institute)," said Mecum.
