Roane County executive Ron Woody told county commissioners last night that state officials informed the jail-expansion committee individual pods or jail cells would be a better fit for inmates than the large dormitory-style facilities already built to house inmates at the Roane County jail. The Tennessee Corrections Institute suggests inmates be separated more, which would cut down on trouble inside the facility.

Property around the current facility on Third Street in Kingston has been acquired for the jail-expansion project and the committee hopes construction will start sometime later this year. Jail officials say the facility has been in an overcrowded state multiple times this year and  the TCI can decertify it if overcrowding continues to be a problem, which could result in a cutoff of State funding for jail operations.