Lawrence County Sheriff Jeff Lawless hit the nail on the head when he said, “We have kicked this can down the road and there is no more road to kick the can down.”

That “can” is the county jail.

This week, Lawless sent a letter to the county’s judges and police agencies asking for a reduction in the amount of inmates sent to the aging and overcrowded facility.

With upwards of 90 to more than 100 inmates at a time, Lawless said conditions are just not safe for those housed there or for the two corrections officers per shift required to handle them all.

The sheriff is running out of ways to ask the county commission for a final decision on the possible move to the ORV, for which the county has already signed a lease.

Simply telling the commissioners about his need for more funding and resources hasn’t been enough to get any concrete decisions made. Showing them, however, may do the trick, but it will be at the expense of everyone living in Lawrence County.

The citizens deserve justice when a crime has been committed against them. Those who choose to steal from the hard working people in the community or sell drugs should be kept off the streets, not left to continue their unlawful behavior because there has yet to be any action on the jail situation.

Continually putting off the move to the ORV or failure to come up with another viable solution has been a great disservice to the county’s taxpayers and voters.

And soon, it will become a danger. We hope the county commission will realize that before it’s too late.