New jail in Berkeley County will hold more inmates

BERKELEY COUNTY, S.C. (WCBD) – As the Berkeley County population grows, so too is the need for more jail space.

The planning process for the new Berkeley County jail began back in 2018 – and construction is now well underway.

“You’ve got to financially be in a position to do something like this,” said Berkeley County Supervisor Johnny Cribb during a tour of jail construction. “Years ago, when there was a need, the county wasn’t in a very good position.”

But Supervisor Cribb said they saved money for years to build a new $42 million jail without a tax increase. A groundbreaking was held last May.

“It’s gonna be a lot safer for our jailers. So, the computer technology with being able to open doors, and lock down doors, and things like that, used to be very manual. It’s now going to be like what you see in the movies sometimes where it’s computer generated,” he said.

The jail currently holds 290 inmates, but it has been overcrowded for years. This new jail will be able to hold 565 inmates. 

Cells of different sizes will keep dangerous inmates away from each other.

Once complete, this building will be four stories tall, taller than the current jail.

“This is gonna be open mesh screens up above there. This is where they will come out and get their morning sun and conduct their exercise right here,” said Randy Demory, director of the Hill-Finklea Detention Center

There will be an 11-bed medical facility in the new jail. The current jail has no medical facility. That means more minor medical issues can be handled on-site.

They include large windows on cells, which make it easier to see in and keep an eye on inmates.

“There’s actually going to be eight inmates contained in this area here. There will be a bunk there, a bunk there, and around that corner, there are four more bunks.”

They say inmates like being in group cells, so less dangerous inmates may get to live together.

“I mean if there’s eight guys in there spending their day watching TV, playing cards, and rolling dice, then there’s eight guys we don’t have to worry about because they’re happy and content,” said Demory.

This construction process should be substantially completed by September 2025.