To no one’s surprise, a new jail topped the recommendations made by the Warren County Grand Jury meeting this week for its January term.

A modern facility is “of vital importance to our community,” the grand jury said, following at least 16 of the last 17 grand juries in placing it No. 1.

“We are concerned with how long it is taking to make a change in the conditions of the jail,” jurors wrote. “We are informed the Board (of Supervisors) is proceeding with diligence…and it is our hope this project will come to fruition as soon as possible.”

Jurors noted that a new jail is needed both to improve working conditions of the sheriff’s department and enhance the safety of jailers and prisoners.

Other recommendations the jury made in its written report also echo former panels, including the need for more investigators for police, sheriff’s office, the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics and the District Attorney’s office.

The 18-member panel was selected and sworn in Monday by presiding Circuit Judge M. James Chaney. In addition to reviewing the evidence against 117 accused individuals in 96 criminal cases, and issuing indictments in 88 of the cases and no-bills in eight others, the grand jury toured the jail, Youth Court and the county’s children’s shelter, and met with Sheriff Martin Pace, Youth Court Judge Johnny Price and Youth Court Prosecutor Ricky Johnson.

Keeping the juvenile justice system before local legislators was the third item on the report.

“The grand jury recommends that the citizens of Warren County contact and urge all local legislators to become more intimately involved with juvenile justice issues and implement and support substantial reform of the juvenile justice system as a long-term solution toward reducing crime in our county.” The panel suggested additional funding for early intervention programs and more money for the children’s shelter.

Other suggestions were that another circuit court room be added to expedite cases and that a firing range be funded and located within Warren County. Current weapon-firing qualification sessions take place in Clinton.

At the conclusion of jurors’ service Thursday, Chaney thanked them and said they will technically remain on duty until the next grand jury term begins May 3. However, only in an emergency would they be called back into service, he said.

A Colorado-based jail planner, Voorhis/Robertson Justice Services Inc., led by chief consultant Dave Voorhis, has been studying Warren County’s jail needs, meeting with a local planning committee and researching jails in other locations since being hired by supervisors in 2008.

Currently, officials are hopeful a 50-acre rural site can be obtained for construction of an expandable 350-bed detention facility in the next four years. The capacity of the current jail is 128, almost all of whom are pretrial detainees. The City of Vicksburg routinely uses other facilities for detention, primarily one in Issaquena County.

Contact Pamela Hitchins at phitchins@vicksburgpost.com