NASHVILLE (AP) - Inmates at a downtown Nashville jail have been transferred out in preparation for the jail's reconstruction.
Local news organizations report the last of 300 high-risk inmates were moved out of the Criminal Justice Center over the weekend. The jail is now set to be demolished to be completely rebuilt.
Davidson County Sheriff Daron Hall said the move took months of planning. The transfer had to account for many factors including public safety, inmate medical appointments, court dates and the fact that many of the inmates don't get along.
Hall called it a complicated effort.
Most of the inmates will be moved to the Maximum Correctional Center on Harding Place. Hall said about $2 million was invested into that center to handle some of the more difficult inmates.
Former mayor Karl Dean says the old jail was prone to flooding, plumbing issues and elevator problems.
"This building was deemed unconstitutiona l in the late '80s," Hall said. "Finally seeing it come down is the right thing for the city."
The city allotted $113 million for the reconstruction project. The new jail will include a separate treatment center for the mentally ill.