New Jail Annex suggested by Tennessee Corrections Institute

The Tennessee Corrections Institute (TCI) is recommending the construction of a new jail annex for housing trustees to replace the one currently located at the old jail location in Manchester. TCI also recommends that the new annex be located adjacent to the new Coffee County Jail on the Hillsboro Highway in Manchester. Construction cost of a new annex is estimated at $1.2 million, according to TCI officials. The TCI representative recently shared his report regarding the future of the annex with Coffee County commissioners. The report, prepared and presented by Bob Bass with TCI, outlined three possibilities for the future of the annex, which is not currently certified by the state. According to Bass, the county can close the annex and absorb the trustees into the regular jail population, improve it in order to get it certified, or build a new annex next to the new jail. Closing the annex is not a feasible option, according to Bass. Though that option would reduce staffing and operational costs, the county can’t afford to do that because that option will also reduce bed capacity at the new jail.