Ahmed Souaiaia, Human Rights, Law & Governance Scholar
“The question is not whether public safety matters. It is which combination of interventions will improve public safety most effectively.”
The Proposed Jail Would Bankrupt Efforts to End Homelessness in Johnson County
“We must see this ballot question as a choice that reflects our priorities. If we borrow this huge sum of money for a new jail, what are we forgoing?”
Andre Wright, Designer, Co-Founder of Humanize My Hoodie
“Jails are the last stop when all the other systems fail. And it’s the most expensive, least cost-effective option we have. We should be investing in prevention instead of a jail, which disproportionately impacts Black and brown communities, even in Johnson County.”
Chad Slater-Scott
“The same stale argument that has been used before is being used again; supporters argue that the current jail, built in 1981, is outdated and expensive to maintain. They say a new jail would reduce the need to house people in other counties. Those arguments fail considering the facts. Johnson County’s own published jail statistics show that the average daily jail population has fallen dramatically from its peak. The county reported an average daily population of 161 in 2010, but only 83 in 2023, 86 in 2024, and 88 in 2025. In other words, the long-term trend is not a growing jail population. It is a smaller jail population than Johnson County had 15 years ago.”
Harper Folsom, Chaplain and Artist
“There are solutions to our problems that do not include investment in incarceration. I am not afraid to dream of and work toward a better way forward, and I encourage both voters and elected officials to do the same.”
Epidemiologist Dr. Nichole Nidey
“I’m voting no because jails are the most expensive way to make communities unhealthy.”
Split Board of Supervisors Advance $124.7 Million Jail to Voters
Johnson County voters can reject this plan by voting “no” on the ballot measure in this Nov. 3 election.
Ballot Language Is Out
Johnson County's official ballot language on the jail proposal will be up for discussion by the Johnson County Board of Supervisors this Wednesday, Aug. 5, at 9 a.m. and up for their vote this Thursday, Aug. 6, at 9 a.m.
We’re voting against spending nearly $100,000,000 for a new jail on Nov. 3. Here’s why.
Johnson County is hurtling towards a nearly $100,000,000 investment in a brand-new, bigger jail. If approved, it will be one of the largest locally funded public investments in Johnson County in memory, yet there is still so much we don’t know – and still many unanswered questions – about the plan.
What we do know is troubling.
Johnson County deserves better.