After years of over crowding and controversy, the old Hamblen County Jail stands empty for the first time since 1977.

According to a release from the Hamblen County Sheriff’s Office, county inmates, as of Monday, are now residing in the Detention Center, located at the new Hamblen County Justice Center at 440 North Jackson Street in Morristown.

Hamblen County Sheriff Chad Mullins said that the inmate population move was completed in three hours. The moved had been expected to take more than 10 hours.

“About a week or so before the move, I spoke with all the inmates and told them what was expected of them,” Mullins said. “We started Monday morning around 5 a.m. and by 8 a.m. the move was complete. There was a lot of strategic planning that went into relocating the inmates and there were no incidents during the changeover.”

As is expected from such a changeover of inmates, members of the Tennessee Corrections Institute and deputies from other law enforcement agencies were on hand during the transition.

“I want to commend everyone working in the Detention Center who have been hands-on in getting the new facility ready,” Mullins stated. “I especially want to commend the members of the Detention Center transition team for what they did to make the move flawless for the inmates and the Corrections Officers.”

Mullins expressed appreciation to the Anderson, Loudon, Washington and Sullivan County sheriffs’ offices for their early-morning assistance during the move. He also praised the Tennessee Corrections Institute and County Technical Assistance Services for their invaluable support throughout the move.

The Detention Center, located on North Jackson Street, is only a part of the new Justice Center. The building also houses courtrooms, judges’ chambers, the offices of the court clerk, and community services.

The administrative offices for the Hamblen County Sheriff’s Office will remain at the current location. The physical address for the Sheriff’s Office, formerly 510 Allison Street, has been reassigned and is now 460 North Jackson Street in Morristown.