Changes are coming to the “yard” at the Warren County Jail.

The 40-foot by 40-foot room with a cage on the top floor of the jail will have its roof repaired by the end of the week. More importantly, county commissioners and the county Prison Board have ordered the space have additional deterrents and safety measures installed and exercise equipment be removed and replaced with equipment that does not provide access to higher positions in the facility.

Some work will be completed by the end of the week while longer-term upgrades will be completed before the end of the summer.

It’s a good start, and it’s good to see the county moving quickly.

But in a world in which the Ralph Phillipses of the world use a can opener to escape from a prison in Western New York or the Michael Burhams of the world find any weakness they can to escape custody, the review of jail security shouldn’t be simply an in-house exercise. Obviously, the shortcomings that led to the situation that unfolded a week ago in the yard at the Warren County Jail was left unaddressed over time because local officials didn’t see the potential escape risk the exercise equipment in the room created when combined with an inmate hell bent on breaking out of jail. Outside agencies should be part of the review process to spot things we may have missed locally.

It’s also worth asking if there is a class of prisoner who shouldn’t be held in the local jail at all. The Warren County Jail has limitations due to size and age, and those things won’t change unless a new jail is built. We’re not advocating for a new building. They cost money that we likely don’t have and frankly probably don’t need to spend. We can handle most prisoners here as they make their way through the court system. But some — like Burham — may need a more secure facility. It’s probably worth investigating housing some inmates accused of heinous crimes at a more secure facility if necessary to protect public safety.

Tuesday night’s statement is just the first of many steps we will take in the aftermath of Michael Burham’s escape. Rather than race through the steps to say they’re done, we hope everyone involved makes each step count so that this type of situation doesn’t happen again.