SYCAMORE – Roger Scott remembers first approaching the DeKalb County Board in 1990 regarding the space issues in the county jail.

Inmates already were double-bunked in the jail, which was built in 1980, and officials knew it would get worse, said Scott, the DeKalb County sheriff. A study suggested planning for an expansion should begin at that point.

Over the years, other studies of the DeKalb County Jail have been done, bringing recommendations for addressing the growing population. Scott said all of those ideas – including electronic home monitoring and drug court – have been implemented, except an expansion of the jail.