Jail completes fencing to halt inmate jumping

The Pulaski County jail has completed installation of fencing in 15 second-floor units, a project intended to prevent inmates from jumping to the first level in attempts to harm or kill themselves.

The $1.1 million project began in November 2015 when the county submitted a purchase order to Arkansas Fence and Guardrail. The Little Rock-based company completed the first phase of the renovation in mid-2016 after it installed the steel and aluminum grate fencing in eight jail units over several months, the Pulaski County sheriff’s office reported.

The second phase began in the fall. Maj. Matthew Briggs, who oversees jail operations, said the project was completed earlier this month when fencing had been installed in the seven remaining units.

The fencing is bolted from the floor of the second tier to the ceiling. Before the project was completed, a guardrail had been the only barrier on the upper level.

Briggs said the jail decided to purchase the anti-jump fencing after a series of inmate deaths and injuries that began in 2014. He said at least five inmates tried to kill themselves by jumping from the second floor, a fall he estimated to be roughly 20 feet.

Funding for the project came from a county ordinance that collects a $5 fee from people found guilty of misdemeanor traffic violations.

Briggs said inmates in two-story units were moved to other units when workers were installing the fencing. The jail also repaired electrical lines, fixed plumbing issues and completed other general maintenance in the units during those times.