From the Lawrence Daily Journal-World for Oct. 11, 1987:

Douglas County officials were in agreement that the time was right for consideration of a new jail. Although it didn’t happen often, overcrowding at the county jail did occur at peak times, and this led to the temporary solution of extra mattresses on cell floors. The current jail, built in 1976 as part of the Douglas County Judicial and Law Enforcement Center, 111 E. 11th, could hold 52 prisoners and had an average daily count of about 38, according to jail administrator Dallas Murphy. Murphy added that plans for a new jail, which could take up to four years to design and build, probably should double the current capacity to allow for future growth.