The medical unit of the Kent County Jail is a horseshoe of hallways that was built in 1972. Walk along its path, and you’ll find two exam rooms and a dental room, five cells that can hold up to 10 inmates and nurses and other staff working out of cells converted into offices.
It’s a problem, according to the Kent County Sheriff’s Office.
The medical needs of inmates often far exceed the unit’s capacity. That means some people who would benefit from being in the medical unit are housed in the general population, and others need to be taken off-site to receive care. The latter can be a costly proposition requiring at least two officers and two to five hours of time each time an inmate is taken out of the facility…