Alexandria has operated its jail for nearly 200 years, and now the city is asking residents whether it should stay in operation.
The city’s survey on whether to continue operating the William G. Truesdale Adult Detention Center or consider other options is available online until Nov. 20. Meanwhile, city staff have spent months working on the $200,000 jail study, with a goal of presenting City Council a report by the end of the year.
“No decisions have been made,” the city website says. “The study will inform the outcome, not predetermine it.”
Last Saturday, Deputy City Manager Yon Lambert told City Council that the jail is well-managed and meets legal and professional standards.
“The central question is straightforward: Should Alexandria continue to operate its own detention center, and how should it be funded, structured, and sustained?” Lambert said. “It’s important that the study is not about operational failure.”
The Alexandria Sheriff’s Office has a longstanding contract with the U.S. Marshals Service and has housed a number of well-known federal inmates, including Zacarias Moussaoui, a conspirator in the 9/11 terror attacks, and former Taliban fighter John Walker Lindh. The contract can be ended at any time with 30 days’ notice.
Sheriff Sean Casey told ALXnow that his office is working with corrections consulting firm CGL and the city on the study.
“The deputies and professional staff of the Alexandria Sheriff’s Office demonstrate exceptional dedication and professionalism in their work at the Adult Detention Center each day,” Casey said in a statement. “This study provides a valuable opportunity to identify areas for improvement and build upon our existing strengths. I look forward to its findings and our continued collaboration to strengthen our operations and enhance public safety in Alexandria.”
Lambert reported to City Council that the facility’s average daily population has fallen from around 400 in 2018 to 270 in 2025.
“We also have our local inmates are also down by half or nearly half from 248 to 134,” Lambert said. “Additionally, federal detainees, which were 149 on average daily in 2018, are 135 today, and federal detainees make up about half of the population of the detention center.”
Casey’s office has been heavily criticized for transferring Alexandria inmates to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody with the agency’s detainers and administrative warrants. Last fall, City Council formally asked Casey to stop transferring inmates to ICE unless required by law.
In April, Casey blasted City Council’s decision to divert $200,000 from his budget for the jail study. He also said that without the federal contract, Alexandria would have to cough up millions.
“The federal contract provides the City $7.4 million of revenue a year, which significantly reduces the cost of operating a local jail for Alexandria taxpayers,” Casey said at the time. “Without the federal contract, we know from our own analysis that even after staffing and service reductions, the City would have to absorb $4-5 million in revenue loss while still operating the local jail.”
Vice Mayor Sarah Bagley and City Councilman Abdel Elnoubi spearheaded the $200,000 study, and got its majority approval from City Council. According to their budget addition in April:
The city is spending more to operate its jail than necessary because staffing levels are set for a full capacity of 340 inmates, even though the jail has averaged only 281.2 inmates over the past six years. In FY 2024, that cost taxpayers $32 million — $18.4 million of which came from local tax dollars. The jail houses more federal inmates (144.7 average) than local inmates (135.3 average), yet federal contract revenue covers only $7.4 million of operating costs while local taxpayers absorb more than double that amount. The Sheriff has indicated that the population would need to fall to 150 or fewer before staffing could be reduced. A jail operational efficiency study should evaluate whether the current staffing model can be restructured and whether alternative jail models could better align costs with actual need and relieve the burden on local taxpayers.
Mayor Alyia Gaskins said City Council will take no vote or action after receiving the report.
“The goal is that it will be useful for our decision making as we approach budget and other conversations beginning in 2027,” Gaskins said.
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