The Marquette County Jail, located in the city of Marquette, is in dire need of updates and expansion. As Marquette County’s population has grown, so have the number of incarcerated individuals. Despite this, the jail has yet to expand since it was widened once after its original construction in 1975. The issues of the jail size are not new, and they have been ongoing for over a decade and became a large problem just three years ago in 2022. With a crowded jail, inmate violence is more common, the morale of both inmates and guards worsens and the potential for dangerous situations increases. This pressing local issue demands change soon before a crisis occurs.
The jail was originally built in 1975 and was later widened to hold approximately 80 inmates. However, in a 2022 Mining Journal article the undersheriff at the time, Dan Willey, stated that the jail is considered overcrowded if the inmate population exceeds 72 or if it reaches 90% capacity. In the same article, Sheriff Greg Zyburt admitted the structure was outdated. Meanwhile, in 2021, a new 160-bed jail was opened in Delta County, which features an elevated command center.
“They’re half the size population-wise, yet they have twice as big of a facility,” Zyburt said.
Marquette County, the largest county in Michigan by land area, has struggled to fund a larger jail despite its needs. In 2013, the issue was brought up at a County Board of Commissioners meeting, but no action was taken. According to coverage in the Mining Journal, Commissioner Steven Pence said, “That would be my first wish: to start over. But I don’t think, in a practical world, and with the feelings of the more experienced members of this board, that that simply would not pass—a millage wouldn’t pass.” Pence also noted that he recently discussed the issue with sheriff’s department employees. “They don’t like at all, as noted in this report, attempts to patch up and build on to a facility that has been inadequate for a number of years.”
The local news sources have been reporting on this issue for as long as it has been an issue, and the sheriff’s department knows the extent of it. Over the years, the sheriff’s department has repeatedly applied for jail upgrades through Marquette County Capital Improvement Plans. It falls to the Commissioners and the financial department to make this change. The County Commissioners have been trying to get this project off the ground since 2013, and have recently formed a small group to talk about options and explore new jail possibilities in just this past year. With an overcrowded jail, the entire justice system has to work on overdrive to get inmates out as fast as they are coming in, and nobody wants that.
Though many government officials know about this issue and want it to change, nothing is being done and the problem only grows. In the past year, Marquette City Manager, Antonio Adan, proposed a new meal plan for the jail to a County Commissioners meeting. In this proposal, Adan calculated the cost with an estimate of 80 to 85 prisoners. That is beyond capacity and is far over the normal level of overcrowding, according to Dan Willey.
Having an overcrowded jail causes problems with the entire local justice system. It overworks the guards, forces judges to expedite cases, and law enforcement faces pressure to release prisoners sooner than they otherwise would. The overcrowding also creates immense stress for the inmates in the cramped environment. Research from the Bureau of Justice Statistics shows that overcrowding in jail leads to serious physical and psychological effects.
Another jail must be built, but it will be expensive. The Sheriff’s Department estimates it to cost between $20-30 million. Marquette County’s annual budget is just over $6 million. While this would take a lot of planning to finance, it is not out of the question; not to mention the possible grants from the American Jail Association or the State of Michigan. The jail should be built to at least match that of Delta County, to fit 160 inmates. It should be built near Harvey, close by the State Prison to simplify inmate transfers, should the need arise, as well as allocate law enforcement.
A larger facility would allow for the space to run helpful programs for inmates. Programs that would help lessen drug use, help educate inmates, and much more. While the cost is significant, the benefits of addressing this long-standing issue far outweigh the expense. Marquette County must prioritize this project and ensure the safety and well-being of its community.
