NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (WAVY) — A committee charged with advising City Council on public safety matters is recommending plans for new city jail be considered alongside plans for a new courthouse complex.

The group, made up of the sheriff, police chief, commonwealth’s attorney, council members and appointed residents, agreed late last month to make the request.

The current city jail along 26th Street is more than 50 years old, according to city records, and Sheriff Gabe Morgan said it is not equipped to handle the challenges of a modern day correctional center.

Earlier this month, seven inmates were able to break out of their cells after “manipulating” the locks, according to Morgan.

While the incident ended quickly and Morgan said there was never any danger to the public, upgrades are needed.

“What this facility was built for no longer exists today,” Morgan said during a press conference. “When I first became sheriff 20 years ago, we had over 750 inmates. We had people for the simplest of things locked up. Today, the people we have locked up are the folks you don’t want out there in the community with you. OK? Many of them have nothing to lose. And they demonstrate that every day. This is the toughest beat in the city.”

As of May, the city jail had, on average, 500 inmates, according to minutes of the public safety committee. That is 200 inmates more than the jail’s and annex’s rated capacity for 300 inmates, per the jail’s most recent audit by the Virginia Board of Local and Regional Jails.

While the same report recommended the facility be certified, Councilman Rob Coleman, himself a former deputy with the department, said the current facility isn’t cutting it.

“It is just not a modern facility for the things that we’re looking to do,” Coleman said. “Not only maintaining the safety and security, but also focus on rehabilitation and making sure that revolving door on the front stops.”

In this years capital improvement plan, City Council included $2 million to replace the “outdated” jail cell locking systems. Coleman wants to look beyond the “band-aids.”

The loss of the Hampton Roads Regional Jail, which often held inmates affected with mentally illness, also increased the need for action.

The city’s jail average daily population increased by nearly 200 inmates according to Morgan. Now, 50 inmates are being held at Middle Peninsula Regional Jail to try and create extra room.

“The Newport News City Jail is just not equipped to handle those challenges,” Coleman said. “So yes, the regional jail closing was a great big hit to us. But we can make sure that we’re doing the right thing now.”

Also included in the long-range CIP is $175 million to build a new courthouse downtown across 26th Street from the current Juvenile Detention Center. Newport News currently has the oldest operating court buildings of the seven cities and wants to consolidate three separate judiciary facilities.

“Looking at the courthouse, just thought it made perfect sense logistically and financially to consider the jail as well, because they’re so connected,” Coleman said.

If approved by City Council, the first phase of planning would help determine what the extra cost might be.

“My colleagues on council are all about public safety inside and outside of that jail,” Coleman said, “and I think they’ll understand the critical need.”