Next week is the deadline for Monroe County to comply with a lawsuit over conditions in the local jail. With a project to build a new jail stalled, the Board of Commissioners wants an extension.
The board voted Thursday morning to negotiate a new deadline with the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana.
The ACLU sued Monroe County in 2008 over conditions in the deteriorating building, which were determined to be unconstitutional in court. A settlement in 2009 gave county government until 2011 to find a solution. Several extensions ensued, the latest in 2024 setting April 15, 2026, as the new deadline.
Monroe County decided it would need to build a new jail to meet those requirements. But after years of disagreement between elected officials, construction hasn’t started.
Read more: No solution in sight for county’s vexing 17-year jail saga
County attorney Jeff Cockerill recommended commissioners seek more time.
“If the settlement agreement gets extended, then for that period of time since it's a class action suit, we would not anticipate new litigation,” Cockerill said.
Besides the commissioners, the Monroe County Sheriff's Department and the ACLU will need to approve an extension.
Cockerill said the county is in conversations with the ACLU.
The latest hangup has been on the selection of a jail site. County commissioners recommitted in March to a location northwest of Bloomington, which the County Council says would be too expensive.
The ACLU of Indiana and Monroe County Sheriff’s Office did not respond to requests for comment.
