After three years of building, the new Jones County jail held an open house for the public. The new facility will replace a 71 year old jail. The previous jail only held 31 inmates, but the new prison can hold triple that amount.

Larry Moore, the Sheriff of Jones County, said the previous building was costing a lot of money to upkeep and the jail commissioners decided it was time to move.

"The commissioners decided that we built this a number of years ago and time to get moved into it and let us use this new facility," said Moore.

"It just outlived it's usefulness and so this new jail is a 96 bed facility allows us to expand the number of inmates we're holding plus allow us to hold inmates for other counties," he added.

Moore said helping other counties house excess prisoners will help pay for the facility.

On Sunday, the jail was open to the public and visitors who were given a tour of the jail cells, dispatch center and sheriff's office.

Moore said the jail staff was happy about the upcoming move. "We're just tickled to death and excited to be in here," he said.

Moore said they are waiting for some kitchen supplies, but expect the jail to open within the next two weeks.