( Hamilton County ) - Sheriff Jim Neil declared a state of emergency in 2017 because the population at the Justice Center was roughly double what that building was designed to hold. Since then, some cells have seen beds added for double-occupancy. That, coupled with paying Butler County to house some Hamilton County inmates, has helped, but Sheriff Neil says it's still overpopulated.
About 10 years ago, there was a ballot issue in Hamilton County that would've raised the sales tax to build a new jail, but voters turned it down.
Sheriff Neil spoke with 700WLW's Scott Sloan. You can listen to that interview here.