By: Jane Kim – North County Inland Reporter
VISTA (KGTV) — The San Diego County Sheriff’s Office says the Vista jail needs to be replaced, with an estimated price tag of $949 million for a new facility.
Commander Christopher Lawrence said critical systems inside the current jail are failing.
“There’s critical systems inside the facility that are failing. That includes plumbing, electrical, some of our security systems that are decades old, and, uh, it’s just, it’s beyond what we can do repair work on anymore,” Lawrence said.
Beyond aging infrastructure, Lawrence said the philosophy behind incarceration has shifted significantly since the facility was built.
“Just the thought process behind incarceration back then it was really, put him away, lock them away and leave them there, and it was designed as a short-term stay facility…now we’re housing people for years in a facility that was designed for temporary holding,” Lawrence said.
The jail currently holds more than 800 people…..
