Jan. 25-Stuart, VA-The new Patrick County Jail on Commerce Street in Stuart, VA was opened on January 25, 2011 to allow the community to stroll the halls and cells, getting a feel for the $9.9 million facility

It was an experience and priviledge to stroll the halls and cells of the new prison facility in Stuart, VA which hold a total of 126 prisoners. It has minimum, medium and maximum facilities with unique living quarters for women, which did not exist prior in Patrick County. It has full time kitchen staff employees and a full time nurse. It is loaded with modern electronics and many, many locking doors. The bunk beds, tables and toilet facilities are all stainless steel. Congratulations to our Sheriff Dan Smith and County elected officials for the work they did to plan and bring this to fruition, thus saving the County tremendous money over the long run. This is a quote from the Martinsville Bulletin on the day of the groundbreaking, August 25, 2009. "The new jail, will be built on Commerce Street adjacent to Eastern Microfilming/EMI Imaging (located in the former Bassett-Walker plant) and across from Clark Gas & Oil. The state will reimburse 25 percent of the estimated $9.9 million construction cost, and the county will make bond payments on the remaining $7.5 million, Smith has said. Plans are to make those payments through savings and revenue generated by housing inmates from other areas." Here is a quote from the Martinsville Bulletin, January 24, 2011: "It will replace the cramped jail on Blue Ridge Street, which was built in the early 1900s and has been plagued with plumbing problems and other issues. That jail can house only 25 to 30 inmates, officials have said. Most of the new complex’s space — 24,000 square feet of the 31,000-square-foot complex — is devoted to housing inmates and the support areas of cooking, laundry and medical facilities. The latter will be manned by a registered nurse, and a doctor will visit the jail weekly, Smith said. The remaining 7,000 square feet will house the sheriff’s office as well as 911 communications/dispatch and an office for Virginia State Police troopers assigned to Patrick County, Smith said." Article written by: Tom Bishop Photo by Tom Bishop