Monroe County Jail

Aerial image from February 2022 of the Monroe County jail at 7th Street and College Avenue in downtown Bloomington.

Monroe County's jail is located on the northwest corner of the intersection of 7th Street and College Avenue in downtown Bloomington. As of June 9, 2026, a new jail is planned to be built, but new litigation is expected after a judge on June 8, 2026 finally dismissed a lawsuit filed in 2008.

Timeline: Monroe County Jail

2026

• 2026-06-18 Jail-site working group. The Collaborative Justice Project Working Group’s first meeting to recommend a new Monroe County jail site is canceled when only four of eight members attend, one short of quorum, after the Monroe circuit court board of judges and Monroe County sheriff’s office decline to participate, leaving the group about three weeks to meet its one-month assignment. [copy of email from board of judges] [copy of email from sheriff's office] [copy of agenda packet] [BSB coverage]

• 2026-06-17 Jail location. In an email message from circuit court judge Mary Ellen Diekhoff, Monroe County’s board of judges declines to appoint a member of working subgroup for jail-location discussions. [copy of Diekhoff's email]

• 2026-06-11 Jail site working group. The Monroe County council and Bloomington city council meet jointly at the historic courthouse and form a public working group, naming Sydney Zulich and Liz Feitl as their designees, to recommend a new county jail location within a month after two county council rejections of the North Park site and expiration of the ACLU jail settlement. [BSB coverage]

• 2026-06-08 Litigation. Federal judge orders Richardson v. Monroe County Sheriff dismissed. [copy of court's order]
• 2026-05-27 Litigation. ACLU of Indiana attorney Ken Falk and Monroe County attorney David Schilling file a stipulated dismissal in Richardson v. Monroe County Sheriff after the county council’s May 26 North Park vote, ending the old action “with prejudice as to this action only” while leaving room for new jail-conditions litigation. [copy of court filing] [BSB coverage]

• 2026-05-26 Potential new location: North Park. The Monroe County council reject the $11.375-million North Park purchase agreement for a new jail, first with a 1–6 failed approval vote and then with a 6–0 vote to deny after David Henry leaves the remote connection, leaving the county with no selected jail site ahead of the May 29 ACLU settlement deadline. Peter Iversen is the only county councilor to support the purchase agreement. [copy of joint statement] [BSB coverage]

• 2026-05-25 Potential new location: North Park (public statement). Before the final council vote, Monroe County commissioners, Bloomington mayor Kerry Thomson, Bloomington Common Council president Isak Asare, and county council president pro tem Peter Iversen issue a joint statement backing North Park, while former Bloomington mayor John Hamilton circulated an opposing guest column. [copy of joint statement] [copy of guest column] [BSB coverage]

• 2026-05-12 Potential new location: North Park. The county council’s first May vote on Ordinance 2026-17 fails 1–5, with Peter Iversen voting yes and Trent Deckard absent, so the $11.375-million North Park purchase agreement will return for a May 26 vote. [copy of ordinance packet] [copy of appraisal] [copy of appraisal] [BSB coverage]

• 2026-04-30 Potential new location: North Park. Monroe County commissioners vote 3–0 to approve a new $11.375-million purchase agreement with Logan Land Development LLC for the North Park site, contingent on county council approval and funding appropriation. [copy of purchase agreement] [BSB coverage]

• 2026-04-28 Litigation. The county council votes 6–1, with Trent Deckard dissenting, to appropriate $30,000 for outside legal counsel while taking no action on a reviewed $135-million jail bond plan. [BSB coverage]

• 2026-04-15 Litigation. After the court approved a settlement extension to May 29, residents urge councilors to reject North Park and commissioners issue a news release saying the extension conditions were imposed by the ACLU and not by commissioners. [copy of news release] [copy of court filing] [BSB coverage]

• 2026-04-13 Litigation. County commissioners and the ACLU file a joint federal-court motion to extend the private settlement agreement to May 29 so commissioners could approve a North Park purchase agreement in April and send it to council in May, with dismissal and new litigation contemplated if the purchase failed. [copy of court filing] [BSB coverage]

• 2026-04-09 Litigation. County commissioners vote 3–0 to authorize board president Julie Thomas to sign a possible ACLU settlement extension before the April 15 expiration, while county attorney Jeff Cockerill says talks with ACLU attorney Ken Falk and Sheriff Ruben Marté are continuing. [copy of prior extension motion] [BSB coverage]

• 2026-03-26 Potential new location: North Park. County commissioners adopt a resolution keeping North Park under consideration, setting criteria to reject sites that could not support future co-location or would cause unreasonable delay, and asking the council to commit cash reserves. [copy of commissioners resolution] [copy of council resolution] [copy of statement] [BSB coverage]

• 2026-02-26 Funding for new jail. At a commissioners work session, county attorney Jeff Cockerill describes a maximum short-term jail budget of $171,304,991 by combining a $135-million bond estimate with $36.3 million in EDIT, jail LIT, and bond-anticipation-note balances, while councilors focus on about $118 million after debt-service coverage. [copy of council resolution and FSG analysis] [BSB coverage]

• 2026-02-24 Current facility status. The county council adopt a 6–0 resolution, with Marty Hawk absent, committing to fund a new jail for constitutional care while stating that the council no longer wishes to consider North Park; Peter Iversen’s motion to remove the North Park clause fails 2–4, with Iversen and Kate Wiltz voting yes. [copy of council resolution] [BSB coverage]

• 2026-02-11 Jail discussions. The Monroe County circuit court board of judges tells Monroe County commissioners and councilors it will step back from meetings on correctional and court facilities because decisions about the Zietlow Justice Building are fiscal and executive in nature, while reaffirming the court’s desire to be co-located with the future jail. [copy of letter]

• 2026-01-22 Current facility status. In a joint meeting, councilors and commissioners agree that the downtown jail does not provide constitutional care, does not reflect community values, and cannot realistically be renovated, making “clear movement” before the April 15 ACLU deadline their immediate priority. [BSB coverage]

• 2026-01-15 Assembling a path forward. At a commissioners work session with no councilors attending, Julie Thomas says the county has already spent about $4.25 million on North Park-specific DLZ design work and warns that an expired settlement could shift jail decisions to a federal judge. [BSB coverage]

• 2026-01-07 Litigation. ACLU and county lawyers file an agreed motion for a 90-day extension of the Richardson settlement from Jan. 15 to April 15, 2026, after Ken Falk warned that the county was “no closer” to resolving jail conditions than when the 2009 private settlement agreement was signed. [copy of court filing] [copy of private settlement agreement] [BSB coverage]

2025

• 2025-11-25 Current facility status. ACLU attorney Ken Falk tours the Monroe County jail amid settlement-extension talks, after Monroe County sheriff Ruben Marté documents structural and safety issues including movable cell and corridor walls temporarily stabilized with steel bracing. [BSB coverage] [copy of Marté's written report]

• 2025-11-10 Assembling a path forward. County commissioners and councilors meet publicly after the North Park funding rejection but reach no clear outcome; commissioners pose five questions on constitutional care, community values, renovation feasibility, and what facility the council would support. [BSB coverage]

• 2025-10-30 Litigation. County commissioners warn that the council’s North Park funding rejection could leave jail-planning decisions to a federal judge after the ACLU settlement’s Jan. 15, 2026 expiration. [copy of private settlement agreement] [copy of settlement extension] [BSB coverage]

• 2025-10-28 Potential new location: North Park. After a marathon meeting, the county council vote 0–7 against appropriating money to close on the $11.375-million North Park site and later unanimously deny the appropriation, citing costs, SEA 1 financing constraints, transportation and equity concerns, and downtown justice-access issues raised by officials and public commenters. [copy of purchase agreement] [BSB coverage]

• 2025-09-04 Assembling team to build new jail. County commissioners vote 3–0 to accept DLZ schematic designs and move into design development for a North Park jail and justice center, with a revised roughly 237,000-square-foot plan, 404 beds plus shell space for 96 more, a working budget near $225 million, and major financing uncertainty under SEA 1. [copy of financing summary] [copy of predesign presentation] [BSB coverage]

• 2025-08-08 Funding for new jail. At a joint meeting, councilors and commissioners decided not to send a statehouse letter seeking SEA 1 financing changes and instead focused on reducing the project budget, while chief deputy sheriff Phil Parker reports a total jail count of 259, secure-bed count of 224, and July counts above 240 on 15 days. [copy of draft letter] [copy of Ciolli email] [copy of Purdie email] [BSB coverage]

• 2025-07-28 Cost and scope. BSB reports that jail-and-justice-center cost estimates had risen to between $260–$280 million by May, delaying a May 29 schematic presentation and forcing DLZ, WGS, and county staff to reduce scope below the $225-million working budget. [copy of Ciolli email] [copy of Purdie email] [BSB coverage]

• 2025-07-10 Funding for new jail. Monroe County commissioners discuss a draft letter asking Indiana legislators to modify SEA 1 so counties could pledge more local-income-tax revenue to debt service, approve a LIT rate earlier, automatically renew the rate for debt service, and use a 25-year property-tax back-up, while a special-purpose-tax idea had been removed. [copy of draft letter] [BSB coverage]

• 2025-04-08 Assembling team to build new jail. Sheriff Ruben Marté introduces Todd Smith, a 38-year Indiana State Police veteran and former chief legal counsel, as jail transition director to replace Cory Grass and help manage site selection, procurement, contracting, design, and handoff work. [BSB coverage]

• 2025-02-27 Assembling team to build new jail. Monroe County commissioners unanimously authorize DLZ and WGS to move from predesign to schematic design for a North Park facility then estimated at $206.9 million for construction and $236,947,833 all-in, with 271,482 square feet and 500 beds compared with 287 beds in the current jail. [copy of predesign presentation] [BSB coverage]

• 2025-02-25 Construction timeline. DLZ’s Scott Carnegie presents Monroe County councilors a preliminary schedule assuming a North Park closing, schematic design by spring 2025, bonding in 2025, construction start in July 2026, substantial completion in March 2029, and transition and occupancy later in 2029. [copy of timeline handout] [BSB coverage]

2024

• 2024-11-12 Potential new location: North Park. On a 5–1 vote (with dissent from Marty Hawk and Cheryl Munson absent) the Monroe County council approves purchase of North Park as site of new jail at a cost of $11.375-million. [copy of purchase agreement] [BSB coverage]
• 2024-10-23 Potential new location: North Park. On a 3–0 vote, Monroe County commissioners approve purchase of North Park as site of new jail at a cost of $11.375-million. [copy of purchase agreement] [BSB coverage]
• 2024-10-08 Funding for new jail. On a 5–1 vote (with dissent from Marty Hawk and Cheryl Munson absent) the Monroe County council votes to enact a local income tax for the new jail at a rate of 0.17 percent. [BSB coverage]
• 2024-04-29 Potential new location: North Park. VET Environmental submits Phase 1 Environmental Study for North Park on West Hunter Valley Road as a potential jail site. [copy of report]
• 2024-09-13 Current facility status. Monroe County sheriff Ruben Marté sends report to Monroe County commissioners on the topic of the status of current jail building systems like the fire protection, sewer, HVAC, elevator, and the roof. [copy of report]
• 2024-09-09 Size of new facility. ACLU attorney Ken Falk sends email to Monroe County officials with a criticism of the idea that the number of beds in a proposed new jail should be as small as 300. [copy of emailed message]
• 2024-08-15 Potential new location: Vernal Pike. Monroe County property owners Craig Cowden and Dee Burris send letter to Monroe County commissioners and Monroe County councilors clarifying that there is a cap on the price they are asking for their land of $3 million apiece. [copy of letter]
• 2024-08-13 Potential new location: Vernal Pike. The chambers of commerce for Bloomington and Ellettsville sent letter to Monroe County officials supporting consideration of the Cowden property on Vernal Pike and Woodyard Road as the site of a new jail. [copy of letter]
• 2024-07-24 Need for new jail? New Leaf New Life releases and statement opposing the construction of a new Monroe County jail. [copy of statement]
• 2024-04-29 Potential new location: North Park. VET Environmental submits a site reconnaissance report for the North Park West Hunter Valley Road potential jail site [copy of report]
• 2024-04-29 Need for new jail? RQAW Architecture issues feasibility study to Monroe County commissioners. [copy of study]
• 2024-01-23 Current facility status. Monroe County sheriff Ruben Marté sends a memo to various county officials about the Monroe County jail population. [copy of memo]
• 2024-xx-xx Current facility status. Monroe County's annual jail report for 2023 is issued. [copy of annual report]

2023

• 2023-12-12 Assembling team to build new jail. Cory Grass is announced to Monroe County council as the jail transition director. [BSB coverage]
• 2023-11-30 Assembling team to build new jail. Monroe County sheriff Ruben Marté sends email message to several officials with his reaction to the deliberations by Monroe County commissioners about their decision to revise the county's ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) plan to fund a contract position for a jail transition director. The sheriff's email reacts to the lack of enthusiasm expressed by commissioners for bringing someone on board who is not currently working in the sheriff's office—not to the outcome of their decision to amend the APRA plan. [copy of email message]
• 2023-10-27 Potential new location: Thomson PUD. Patriot Engineering and Environmental, Inc issues its geotechnical report on the Thomson PUD property as a potential location for a new jail. [copy of report]
• 2023-09-27 Potential new location: Thomson PUD. VET Environmental Engineering issues its environmental site assessment of the Thomson PUD property, as a location for a new jail. [copy of site assessment]
• 2023-07-28 Assembling team to build new jail. Indiana's public access counselor issues an advisory opinion stating that the lack of public access to the interviews of respondents to the RFQ for the design/build work violated Indiana's Open Door Law. [copy of advisory opinion]
• 2023-04-06 Assembling team to build new jail. A member of the group Care Not Cages files an Open Door Law (ODL) complaint with Indiana's public access counselor about the lack of public access to committee interviews of respondents to the design/build RFQ. [copy of ODL complaint] [copy of Monroe County response to complaint]
• 2023-04-05 Assembling team to build new jail. At a work session, chief deputy sheriff Phil Parker confronts county commissioners about the lack of transparency in the process of selecting the design/build firm, but does not disagree with the choice of DLZ Corporation. [BSB coverage]
• 2023-03-22 Assembling team to build new jail. DLZ Corporation is announced as the unanimous choice of the committee as the design/build firm. [BSB coverage]
• 2023-01-23 Current facility status. Monroe county sheriff Ruben Marté, who had been sworn into office three weeks earlier, and jail commander Kyle Gibbons present county commissioners with a slide deck showing deplorable conditions at the Monroe County jail. [BSB coverage]
• 2023-01-17 to 2023-01-19 Assembling team to build new jail. Committee interviews on three successive days firms who have responded to the RFQ for the design/build work: Elevatus, RQAW, and DLZ Corporation. [BSB coverage]

2022

• 2022-12-21 Potential new location: Fullerton Pike. Bloomington's city council votes 9–0 to deny a rezone for the Fullerton Pike location to allow the location to be used as a jail [BSB coverage]
• 2022-12-12 Potential new location: Fullerton Pike. Monroe County councilor Jennifer Crossley states at a meeting of the county's community justice reform committee (CJRC) that she no longer supports Fullerton Pike as a location for a new county jail. [BSB coverage]
• 2022-12-09 Need for new jail? Private settlement agreement between the ACLU about the Monroe County, Indiana is extended [copy of extended settlement agreement]
• 2022-11-14 Potential new location: Fullerton Pike. Bloomington city plan commission votes 6–3 to send a negative recommendation to the city council for a requested rezone of a 87-acre site on Fullerton Pike, in order to allow the the use of the site for a jail facility. [BSB coverage]
• 2022-10-27 Assembling team to build new jail. Monroe County issues an RFQ for new jail. The RFQ includes the wording: "The committee will request presentations from each submitter, these presentations will be open to the public and may include a public display/presentation." The committee membership was: Richard Crider, Monroe County’s fleet and building manager; David Gardner, ASI Facilities Services contractor; Lee Baker, county attorney; Kyle Gibbons, jail commander; Matt Demmings, assistant jail commander; and Angie Purdie, administrator for the commissioners.[copy of RFQ]
• 2022-07-22 Potential new location: Fullerton Pike. Monroe County commissioners approve $10.02 million land purchase on Fullerton Pike (contingent on rezone by city of Bloomington) as location of new jail. [BSB coverage]

2021

• 2021-06-20 Need for new jail? Report is issued by Kenneth A. Ray of RJS Justice Services, which concludes that the Monroe County jail facility "is failing." [copy of report] [copy of executive summary] [BSB coverage]
• 2021-04 Need for new jail? Report is issued by Eve Hill of Inclusivity Strategic Consulting on the status of the current jail facility. [copy of the report] [BSB coverage]

Before 2021

• 2009-08-14 Litigation. The ACLU and Monroe County reach a private settlement agreement on the ACLU lawsuit, which allows the ACLU to renew its complaint if Monroe County does not meet certain conditions [copy of private settlement agreement]
• 2009-04-24 Justice Complex Master Plan released. Master plan and study issued by PMSIinc, from Noblesville, recommending new jail, community corrections facility, juvenile detention and treatment center, sheriff's administration facility, and common warehouse and maintenance building be built on the County's Thomson property [Monroe County Justice Complex Master Plan]
• 2008-02-13 Litigation The ACLU files a lawsuit on behalf of the prisoners at the Monroe County jail, based on overcrowded conditions at the Monroe County jail. [copy of complaint]