Construction of a 5000 s/f medium security stand-alone dormitory at the Bay County Jail to house the Lifeline Drug Treatment Program. The program is currently housed in a pod at the main jail. The stand-alone facility will allow for the expansion of the program, and facilitate the delivery in a more rehabilitative environment. Due to the lower level classification of participants in the program, the dormitory can be engineered at less cost than traditional jail dormitories.
Bay County has experienced significant issues with drug addiction issues with high rates of substance abuse from methamphetamine and opiates. Statistics show high levels of prescribing for opioids, and high rates of removals of children from the drug endangered homes. Bay County led the state for many years in the seizure of methamphetamine labs. The Bay County Sheriff’s Office has been working through the Lifeline Drug Treatment Program to provide rehabilitative services to inmates at the Bay County Jail. Innovative treatments to include medication assisted treatment, and the Mission Based Resilience Program have shown promise in making an effect on individuals that are engaged in the criminal justice system and addicted to drugs. This project will allow for the expansion of treatment services in Bay County. There are concerns that the stresses of the hurricane recovery will exacerbate the issue as evidenced by information that we have received from other communities that have experienced natural disasters and their experience with overdoses and addiction rates. In addition, the Bay County Jail is near design capacity on the inmate population, and this dormitory will add additional capacity at a lower cost.