MONTICELLO – On Friday, June 5, the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office received authorization from the New York State Commission of Corrections to begin populating the new county jail on Old Route 17 in Monticello and hours later, all 68 inmates were transferred from the downtown Monticello jail.
The move ends the use of the former facility on Bushnell Avenue, the oldest county jail in the state, originally built in 1909.
Due to security precautions, the move was kept quiet until the last possible moment. The sheriff’s office was assisted by state troopers and Monticello Police units as successive convoys moved prisoners through the village to the new building. Sheriff Mike Schiff stated that all inmates were secured in the new jail by 5 p.m. without incident.
Despite a ribbon cutting by the county legislature in October of 2019, the jail did not receive a connection to the Village of Monticello water system until December and required additional equipment to be installed and certified for operation.
Working around the restrictions associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, the sheriff’s office was finally able to complete the required training of the jail staff this week and receive permission from the state to begin operation.
Schiff thanked the County Legislature, the County Manager’s Office, the Department of Public Works and the State Commission of Corrections for their support in bringing this project to completion. The sheriff also thanked the Monticello Police and State Police for providing assistance with Friday’s movement of inmates.
