Alexandria's jail now holds far fewer people than it is staffed for. A city study will weigh other options, and residents can comment until Nov. 20.
The city of Alexandria is studying how it runs its jail, and it wants residents to weigh in first. A five-question survey on the William G. Truesdale Adult Detention Center is open until 11:59 p.m. Friday, Nov. 20.
The jail’s population has fallen by nearly half since 2018, the city said on the survey page. The people held there today also have more complex needs. The city wants to know what that means for the cost of running the jail.
The study will look at how the jail is staffed, funded and operated. It will also look at “what alternatives could better match the City’s needs,” the city said in its Oct. 28 announcement.
The city stressed that the study is not about a failing jail. It called the facility well managed and said it meets legal and professional standards. “No decisions have been made. The study will inform the outcome, not predetermine it,” the announcement said.
Why the city is asking now
City Council put $200,000 toward a “Jail Operational Efficiency Study” when it set the fiscal 2027 budget in April. The money comes out of the Sheriff’s Office’s own operating budget, the city’s final add/delete memo shows.
Staff had estimated a full consultant study would cost $200,000 to $250,000, and a narrower one about $100,000. That estimate came in answer to a question from Mayor Alyia Gaskins, in the city’s budget question No. 83.
Vice Mayor Sarah Bagley and council member Abdel-Rahman Elnoubi proposed the study. Their budget request, in the same memo, set out the case:
- The jail is staffed for a full capacity of 340 inmates.
- It has averaged 281.2 inmates over the past six years.
- It holds more federal inmates, an average of 144.7, than local ones, an average of 135.3.
- The sheriff has said the population would need to fall to 150 or fewer before staffing could be cut.
The two council members said the study should test whether the staffing model can be restructured and whether “alternative jail models” could better match costs to need.
What the jail costs
The jail cost $32.0 million to run in fiscal 2024, the city said in a March 25 budget answer on jail costs. That figure comes from the Virginia State Compensation Board’s annual jail cost report. Local taxes paid $18.4 million of it.
In fiscal 2025 the cost came to $332.05 per inmate per day, based on the average daily population. The money came from four places:
| Source | Amount | Share |
|---|---|---|
| City of Alexandria | $18,373,874 | 57.9% |
| Federal government | $6,792,815 | 21.4% |
| State of Virginia | $6,315,800 | 19.9% |
| Other | $240,484 | 0.8% |
The federal government pays the city $133.84 a day for each federal inmate, the budget answer said. It also covers any medical care federal inmates need outside the jail. The city said it expects fiscal 2026 costs to be similar to fiscal 2025.
What the survey asks
The survey takes about 10 minutes, the city said. It is available in English, Spanish, Amharic and Arabic. It asks:
- which factors matter most as the city weighs the future of detention services, ranked in order
- what concerns you would have about different options, such as housing inmates in other facilities or expanding or renovating the current jail
- what improvements the city should consider
- anything else the study should take into account
The answers go to city staff, City Council and other decision-makers, the city said.
What it means for you
- To have a say, take the detention center survey by 11:59 p.m. Friday, Nov. 20.
- Questions go to Alex311 at 703-746-4311 or through the Alex311 portal.
- Nothing changes yet. The city has not said when the study will finish or when council will see its findings. We will report them when they are published.
- Your money is part of this. Local taxes paid $18.4 million of the jail’s costs in fiscal 2024. Our property tax page explains the city’s rate and due dates.
For weekly arrests and incidents from the city’s own releases, see our Police and Fire log.
Have your say