Jail Facts:::
Administrator: Jason Shackles ; Current Staffing: 7
Construction: 1952-1953
First opened: 1953
Capacity: 34, both male and female.
Fees: $35.00 per day + medical.
Visitation: Each Wednesday from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
History:::
In November of 1855 a committee was appointed to plan and build the first jail for Henry County. In December the jail was completed at a cost of $3,044.00 which included a $44.00 overrun in cost. In 1880 the county replaced the jail of 1855 with another facility which opened in January 1881 at a cost of $7,880.00. The two prior jails were both located on Washington Street across from the current jail location.
The current Henry County Jail was opened in 1953 as a state of the art, thirty-two bed, two-story facility. The facility was located across the street from the previous jails on South Washington Street. The jail was constructed to provide living quarters for the Sheriff and his family, as was the practice during that time. The first floor living quarters consisted of three bedrooms, one bathroom, living room, and kitchen. The Sheriff's wife was usually the cook for the inmates and the Sheriff's family ate what was served to the inmates.
The northwest portion of the first floor was for the radio dispatcher and booking room. In the basement was a 'drunk tank', which had a sink, a toilet, and an old army cot for sleeping. The second floor provided for two cellblocks holding 12 inmates each, two 2-man cells and one 4-man cell.
Sheriff Peter R. Werner was the last Sheriff to occupy the living quarters. Sheriff Jerome H. Wareham in 1985, converted the living quarters to a new dispatch area and offices for the deputies and administrative staff.
In 1986, the Henry County Jail saw the addition of two holding cells on the first level and the conversion of the 'drunk tank' in the basement to two, full-service cells. This expanded the holding capacity to its present 34 inmates.
From 1985 until 1992, Zone 15 of the Missouri State Highway Patrol utilized one of the office areas for their operations.
In September 1992, the Henry County Jail was also home to the newly-created Henry County Communications Center (911). In May of 1995, the Communications Center was moved to its current location on East Lincoln Street in Clinton.
Today, the Henry County Jail can house 34 inmates in full-service holding cells and 2 inmates in temporary, short-term holding cells. The first floor maintains the office for the Sheriff, Chief Deputy, Jail Administrator, Secretary, and deputies.
In April 2008, the voters of Henry County approved a sales tax to fund a new jail. The 9.7 million dollar project is currently under construction. The new jail will be located on the northeast corner of Main and Green Streets in Clinton.
For information regarding the construction of the new jail, click here.