Public meetings provide first glimpse of plans for new Lee County jail | News

TUPELO, Mississippi (WTVA) – The public got its first look at plans for a new jail in Lee County.

The current Lee County Adult Detention Center has housed inmates since 1997.

However, the Commerce Street facility is reaching its limits, so work is currently underway on a new prison.

Two public meetings were held on Monday where architects and police officials shared their ideas with the people of Lee County.

Plans included a facility with double capacity, an organized environment for administration to better protect themselves and the inmates housed there, a modernized kitchen and an improved laundry area.

The expanded capacity would be enormous, as Lee County houses inmates from other counties for other departments.

Some concerns were raised during the meeting.

Many feared it would be too expensive, and others were concerned that a facility visible from Highway 45e would be an eyesore.

A local resident who supported the new prison said a new facility was needed, citing the age and construction deficiencies of the facility currently in use.