Fayette County's new 384-bed

jail is up and running.

The facility boasts seven different

living areas and 119 different video cameras that are monitored at the

central control room.

Three of the living areas,

called dormitories, have bedding in the open, bunk style, while the other

four have two-man cells that lock shut, said Maj. Robert Glaze, who oversees

jail operations for the Fayette County Sheriff's Department.

"Some people require a

little more supervision and a little more structure than others,"

Glaze said, noting that the average inmate only stays at the jail approximately

17 days.

Each living area features:

A bank of phones which inmates

can use to make collect calls;

A visitation area on the second

floor where inmates can use a phone system to converse with friends and

family;

An exercise "yard"

consisting of an walled-in concrete area that features a basketball hoop;

A "quiet" multipurpose

room where inmates can attend Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous

meetings and also have a place to read;

A series of plastic chairs

that can be filled with sand if necessary to keep them in place. Jailers

will start out by allowing inmates to move the chairs around as needed.

A corrections officer controls

all door access to each part of the living area from a main control panel

inside each dorm. Each of the cells can be opened or shut individually,

and all can be opened at the same time if necessary.

The four living areas with

the two-man cells have an intercom in each cell in case of emergency.

The officer will remain in the area until lights out time, and other officers

can keep an eye on the area from an observation tower up above, Glaze

said.

"The direct supervision

concept is the best way to run a jail," Glaze said.

Having the officer on duty

inside the living area will discourage altercations among inmates, Glaze

added.

Each living area also has a

number of plastic chairs and tables for inmates to use during their free

time. The tables have a "gameboard" for checkers, chess and

other games to help inmates pass the time; there's also a TV unit mounted

high, and it's not a big screen model.

The central control room for

the jail features touch-screen computer controls for the doors, heating

and air conditioning, fire alarm and emergency alarm system, Glaze said.

There's also a 20-bed medical

infirmary with beds in individual cells. That's where inmates will go

for medical exams and evaluations; a separate entrance to the infirmary

allows for emergency crews to enter there and transport prisoners to the

hospital if necessary, Glaze said.

The facility has a series of

holding cells in two separate areas: one for incoming prisoners and one

for those who are being released or transported.

The incoming holding cell area

also has bench seating that can be used for non-violent prisoners who

are arrested and will bond out quickly. That way, those people aren't

put into the general population, Glaze said.

"We deal with a lot of

people that come in and are out in a couple of hours," Glaze said.

The administrative side of

the jail has a training room which will also be used for roll call at

the beginning of each shift. And there's a separate room for records to

be kept, Glaze added.

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