The Bristol, Virginia Jail will officially close on July 1, but the sheriff is already looking at long term plans to build a new facility in the city.

In October 2021, the Bristol City Council voted in favor of closing the jail and becoming part of the Southwest Virginia Regional Jail Authority. The current facility was built in 1970 and was in desperate need of renovations.

All of the inmates housed in the Bristol Jail have been moved, and employees who lost their jobs were given the opportunity to transfer to the regional jail system.

Sheriff Tyrone Foster was adamantly against closing the jail, and his long range plan is to find a way to build a new jail in the city.

"The best thing from this point on out is to demolish the current jail and look at building a new one," he said. "Even if it's in this same spot. We've got a lot of things going on in Bristol, we've got the casino coming in, we've got a lot of businesses relocating here, and I think this is something Bristol needs."

The sheriff's office maintains 15 full-time positions and one part time position. The sheriff's office will continue to handle court room security, extraditions, and courts & process.