The State of the Vigo County Jail
A Case Study of the Vigo County Jail
By James Steward
Crime Network Analyst
Any and all comments are those of the author Key word search was completed using the internet site;http://www.tribstar.com/archives/
The following report contains only key talking points from local news articles followed by the author. Note these are all summaries of jail related events for that year. The talking points were selected by reviewing news articles found in Terre Haute
A review of the news articles found;
1. No attempts were made by County leaders to conduct a future inmate population projection study prior to building the new jail.
2. No local officials reviewed or conducted a nationwide or local jail / prison / arrest trend analysis prior to building the new jail.
3. There was no effort by local officials to combine new jail funding together with other jail diversion programs.
4. Some local officials lobbied for a labor effective new jail design to utilize fewer County jailers, but in the end, they received no support from other County leaders for the project.
5. The Tribune Star lacked journalistic ethics when reporting about jail population. The Star unintentionally but consistently printed misleading facts and figures on jail inmate population and inmate demographics. This was due in part by local officials providing the media with “fuzzy” information. The media should have made some attempts to investigate the authenticity of any information released to them by County officials or stated in their reports the information could not be verified.
6. A local tax-payer organization and the Indiana Civil Liberties Union influenced and pressured the County Commissioners
At the end of each yearly news article review, is the authors yearly jail summary. Also at the end of each yearly review is a “BOTTOM LINE” estimate of the average daily inmate jail capacity along with the maximum inmate count for one day of that same year based on Tribune Star Reports. At the end of this report is a line graph illustrating average daily inmate counts for the year.
1992
In 1992, Indiana Department of Corrections statistics indicate 80 percent of the inmates in state prisons are incarcerated for offenses linked to alcohol or drug abuse. Also at this time Indiana
“{Elderd stated, the key to fairness, he believes, is flexibility on the part of judges. Current rules of law require a judge to explain in writing if his order for support deviates from the guidelines. The problem is the guidelines have become an excuse for a lazy judge or attorney to decide an issue. For the amounts to be realistic and fair, we have to be flexible, the usual reason non-custodial parents don't pay, is they won't pay no matter what the amount is. This results in a complex problem for the judges. You can cite them for contempt, and put them in jail, and some will find a way to pay something. But some parents are, in common vernacular, deadbeats, they’re unemployable, and you can lock them away forever and not get support. With the tremendous overcrowding in our jails, we must face the issue, do we release someone charged with a felony to make room for an irresponsible parent?}”
In a story about a five-time drunk driver[2], Judge William McClain Jr. talked about Vigo County Jail
“Even if a drunken driver has a lengthy record, it is common practice to lower bail or releases a defendant if he agrees to seek treatment for substance abuse. The defendant must return to court to face the criminal charges after treatment. McClain said other factors involved in decisions on bail include defendant's employment and jail overcrowding. The main purpose of bail is to assure a defendant's presence in court.
In 1992 the Governor's Council on Impaired and Dangerous Driving is urging the Indiana General Assembly to lower the minimum blood-alcohol level for drunken driving to 0.08 from 0.10
1992 Summary
Although none of the articles talked directly about the Vigo County Jail (VCJ), many of the outside issues will begin to impact the VCJ in the near future. The importance of the1992 articles are that Indiana ’s county jail system reflects Indiana Indiana Indiana code books make up between 25% to 40% of the “book-ins” in Indiana County Terre Haute
THE BOTTOM LINE
The VCJ has a capacity to hold 130 inmates. In 1992 the VCJ is operating at 103% (134) capacity but has gone as high as 120% (156).
1993
In a June article about the punishment fitting the crime[3] a Terre Haute Walker Walker Walker
“{A judge can, of course, accept or reject all or part of the proposal. It's a challenge to really come up with a specialized, individualized plan to fit the offender. Its work the defense attorneys just don't have time to do. The growing profession of sentencing consulting is a result of society's struggle to cope with its overcrowding prisons and its awareness that prisons don't really rehabilitate. Private attorneys for a long time have called in experts, clinicians, but sentencing consulting as a special discipline - someone to bring it all together - it's relatively new}”.
A story on federal prison over crowding[4] cites Kathleen M Hawk the new director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons, stating, the current prisoner population is aging and more women than ever are being incarcerated. Hawk states she is trying to find ways to reduce the federal inmate population. She cites the rash of minimum sentences passed by congress during the 1980’s “war on drugs”. In the same article U.S. Penitentiary at Terre Haute Warden Patrick Keohane states that 60% of federal inmates are drug offenders and half are first time offenders. Both Hawk and Keohane say the prison system may be better off if some of the minor criminals are diverted to community-based programs, like home confinement or drug treatment. The bureau may also seek expanded community- based programs and be more generous with good-time credits, which allow well-behaved inmates to earn reduced sentences.
The public information officer for the Terre Haute Penitentiary, Bill Gerth, says the Penitentiary is operating at 190% capacity.
1993 Summary
Again in 1993 the claim that many inmates are sitting in cells on drug charges is made, however, this charge of 60% is referring to federal inmates, not county inmates. Nevertheless, this seems to be more in line with alcohol and drugs than for just drugs. Also interesting is the claim that half of the 60% are re-offenders. This statement seems to hold water considering most people arrested for drug an alcohol offenses are in the addiction phase which makes it almost impossible for them to quit. Although VCJ is not mentioned directly in the articles researched, warning flags can be seen. Terre Haute
• Divert minor criminals to community based corrections programs
• Use more home detention for minor criminals
• Divert drug and alcohol offenders to drug treatment programs
• Develop a full-time sentencing counselor position at the jail to evaluate offenders upon intake.
Another point made in the “1993” articles talks about the rise in women inmates. Unfortunately, the county will see this wave of women inmates hit them by 2001.
THE BOTTOM LINE
The VCJ has a capacity to hold 130 inmates. In 1993 the VCJ is operating at 105% (137) capacity but has gone as high as 122% (159).
1994
The first news article that mentions VCJ overcrowding directly is printed[5]. The outgoing Community Corrections Director Matthew Franklin states the jail is always overcrowded and the county needs a bigger place to house non-violent criminals who could benefit from a work-release program. The current 1994 Vigo County Sheriff James Jenkins agrees that overcrowding is a major problem, however, in contrast, Sheriff Jenkins asked Vigo County
In an October 1994 article[6] Sheriff Jenkins states it will take a crisis before county government takes any steps to deal with the problem of lack of space in the VCJ. Also, the Sheriff asks the Vigo County Commissioners to look into building more jail space onto the annex. Sheriff Jenkins cites current jail overcrowding is caused by three things;
• First, the number of inmates already sentenced and waiting in jail to be transferred to the Indiana Department of Corrections.
• Second, the increase in violent inmates, and more domestic battery cases.
• Third, the policy by Vigo County
Lastly, Sheriff Jenkins states there is no room in the jail to separate felony from misdemeanor offenders or pre-trail from sentenced offenders. A Vigo County
In reply to the Sheriff’s overcrowding statements, Vigo County Judge Barbra Brugnaux states Vigo County
1994 Summary
Since1992 the VCJ has slowly increased it’s average daily jail inmate count by four percentage points and the inmate high count increased by six percentage points. Another on going red flag is heralded by Sheriff Jenkins, since 1992, there is no room in the jail to separate felony from misdemeanor offenders or pre-trail from sentenced offenders. Finally, the Sheriff fears a crisis/lawsuit will occur before a new jail will be built, he will later be proved right. To that end, should one be arrested for public intoxication on Friday night and have to stay in jail over a weekend waiting to see a judge Monday is not the worst thing that could happen. Being assigned the same jail cell with a person convicted of killing two people, with anger management issues who is awaiting transfer to the Indiana Department of Corrections Monday, could be! Clearly there are huge issues continuing to be raised that leaders and county officials need to address such as;
• A community corrections facility to house non-violent criminals as work release.
• How does the jail evaluate a criminal that would benefit from work release.
• Should the county build more jail space onto the annex.
• The lack urgency by county leaders to react to wide spread jail overcrowding in Indiana
*Note: Work release will be brought up by local leaders, the Sheriff and community action groups as a solution to ease Vigo County
BOTTOM LINE
The VCJ has a capacity to hold 130 inmates. In 1994 the VCJ is operating at 107% (140) capacity but has gone as high as 126% (166).
1995
The county settles a federal suit[7]. In October 1995, Vigo County Vigo County
1995 Summary
Not many articles on jail overcrowding are printed 1995. However, the biggest jail story of the year should have been the percentage point increase in average daily inmate count. County leaders failed to see the average daily inmate count for the year raised 13 percentage points. If the average daily count raised 13 percentage points in the stock market; your a ba-zillionaire! A thirteen point rise in the jail industry gets you a ba- zillion dollar law suite. This year’s jail numbers should have been another big red flag. In 1995 the jail was overcapacity 259 days out of the year. Due to a law suite in 1993 the jail has to settle this year with prisoners because the jail was inadequate to house certain types of people. Because of this law suite, county officials should have seen the ICLU law suite sneaking up. Cries for more jail staffing help from the Sheriff go unanswered and yet some officials think having a jail 20% over capacity is not something to be alarmed about. The truth be told, jail populations never decrease.
Lastly, another common theme from 1992 to 2004 is the noticeable lack of jail inmate population intelligence by county officials. It won’t be until March of 2002 that Sheriff Harris will be force to do daily inmates counts. From the 80 relevant jail overcrowding articles reviewed, no one except for the Sheriff knows how many people are in jail or on what offense/charge or how many are in jail booked under felony or misdemeanor or how many people are on pre-trial or sentenced status. The lack of an independent crime/jail analyst to assist the County Council and Commissioners will lead to uninformed decisions concerning the correct jail inmate capacity needed for a new jail. In the coming years, council members and local officials will be calling for paid studies to evaluate “who’s in jail.”
BOTTOM LINE
The VCJ has a capacity to hold 130 inmates. In 1995 the VCJ is operating at 120% (156) capacity but has gone as high as 130% (170+).
1996
Overcrowding and understaffing plague many prisons throughout Indiana and the United States
“Many convicts sentenced to state prisons remain in county jails while awaiting openings on the state level, there are about 900 to 1,000 inmates backed up in county jails waiting for space in the Indiana Department of Corrections. The overcrowding problem facing county jails is a statewide problem, about 75 to 80 percent of the Indiana
In Indiana [8] in 1994, 150,746 people were arrested - 38,756 under the age of 18, according to the FBI's ``Crime in the United States United States Wabash Valley , Vigo County
• First, stiffer criminal sentencing by judges.
• Second, overcrowding at state prison facilities create a backlog of sentenced inmates awaiting transfer and limits temporary transfer of violent offenders for holding at these corrections facilities.
Sheriff Harris comments in early July of 1996 that the jail is overcrowded 100% of the time[10]. Again the same problem still exists since 1982, there is no room in the jail to separate felony from misdemeanor offenders or pre-trail from sentenced offenders. Again in July, Vigo County Council member Clyde Kersey suggests that the VCC and Sheriff won’t address the need for a new jail until 1997. Kersey states it’s up to Sheriff Harris to select the right jail design and the County Council to approve the funding. Also, Vigo County
The Taxpayers Association of Vigo County headed by Dolores Svendsen suggests five alternatives to reduce jail overcrowding before building a new jail.
1. She wants VCJ to hold only Vigo County Residents.
2. Suggests Vigo
3. She wants bail policies at the jail to be reviewed and changed
4. She suggests expanding Vigo County
5. She wants a review and consideration of jail privatization.
In reply to Mrs. Svendsen’s requests, Vigo County Judge Dexter Bolin said “Saturday court was once tried for about a year in Vigo County
County Councilman Brad Anderson said; “The County should study the jail problem, including alternatives such as privatization. We might find it more cost effective to do that.''
Another issue raised in July of 1996 is that of a inmate recreation area[12]. If Vigo County Vigo County
“Other remedies and solutions need to be considered and tried instead of allowing Vigo County to react in a knee-jerk fashion by building a new county jail, one which this county can ill afford,'' said Dolores Svendsen.
The association urged commissioners to form a task force to consider alternatives to building a jail. Commissioner William Decker said a task force is already in the works. Decker said the task force, composed of a dozen members, is to meet July 31, 1996. The group includes Vigo County Council President Mark Blade, Councilman Phil Bird, Vigo County Judge Michael H. Eldred, Juvenile Magistrate R. Paulette Stagg, all three county commissioners and the Sheriff. Dolores Svendsen said, “If it boils down to needing more space, then we have not looked at what space is in the annex, we can move some offices. It is cheaper to build office space than a new jail… we can't afford bond issue after bond issue and certainly not for a new jail.''
In August 1996 a 14-member task force formed to consider building a new Vigo County
• Bird wants a review of the county's bail policy. (“Our problem is not that bad. We're only about 20 percent over capacity.'')
• Bird also suggested that Vigo County
Other notables:
“The majority of prisoners face felony charges, and many are second- or third-time offenders or probation violators” – Sheriff Harris
“There are 800 people on probation in Vigo County
“I think we came to the conclusion that we have to do something in terms of construction,'' - County Councilman Mark Blade.
“I have reviewed the cases of those in jail, and most are being held for probation violations or awaiting a court appearance on a new charge, many are repeat offenders who are given chance after chance but refuse to conform their behavior. At some point, they don't get off with a low bond.'' - Judge Barbara L. Brugnaux
“We can't open the jail doors. We have a responsibility to society. Many probation violators are in jail for failing to pass a drug screen, a policy that started in the last five years. Also, drug offenders are being slapped with much stiffer penalties, putting them behind bars for much longer. There is no change of policies that judges can do that is going to solve this jail overcrowding problem, we could let a few more people go on bond, but this is a problem that everyone is facing nationwide.'' - Judge Michael Eldred
“I inspected the 130-bed Vigo County Jail several times. The jail is full because of the county's own prisoners, not just people awaiting transfer to state facilities”. - Walter B. Smith, Director of detention services for the Department of Correction.
I am worried that crowded conditions in the jail could open the county up to inmate lawsuits. Building a jail may be the way to go, there could be a class-action lawsuit against the jail which could cost millions. So it may be build a jail or just give the money to insurance companies and lawyers.'' - Phil Bird, Vigo County
1996 Summary
This was the first full year of complete (everyday) inmate overcrowding. At this point, all county officials know the jail overcrowding issue is not going away. Despite the jail being understaffed since 1992, there seems to be no help insight despite Indiana Jail Inspectors reports citing the need to hire more jailers. The Sheriff will get new jailers when he gets a new jail in 2001.In 1996 the fight to build or not to build a new jail has entered public debate. The same issues since 1992 are on the table, many officials and public action groups urge in-depth looks into; diverting inmates to community corrections, utilize work release, divert minor criminals to home detention, review cases of those minor offenders in jail to reduce bail, review charging policies that judges have, house VCJ inmates in other county jails, jail privatization, and Saturday courts. A few county officials suggest studying the jail populations to identify “who’s in jail.” What is not surprising is the Federal and State prison populations are growing creating a huge ripple effect down to the county level. Had a jail study been conducted there might have been a chance to expound on how many cells the county will need for it’s inmates in the year 2010. If a study had been done, county officials would have seen the type of charges booked in to VCJ is slowly changing. Violent crime is dropping and court related charges are increasing such as probation violations and failure to appear warrants. And, minimum bail for drug charges has changed drastically. Of course, Judge Barbara L. Brugnaux has already seen this in her court. Court related charges will soon out distance all other charge types by 15% to 26% in 2004. The bickering over how much to spend on the new jail starts to take precedence over how the jail will be designed. As of 1996, the Sheriff is still short jailers and could use a new jail labor efficiently designed, however, this is not important enough to discuss at the task force meetings.
BOTTOM LINE
The VCJ has a capacity to hold 130 inmates. In 1996 the VCJ is operating at 118% (153) capacity but has gone as high as 130% (170+).
1997
Throughout the entire year of 1997 county commissioners and county council went back and forth debating the price and location of a new jail. One idea was the Vigo County commissioners wanted to lease the Reuben H. Donnelley building and turn it into an office building and juvenile center, making room in the county's Annex & Security Center 201 Cherry St. for at least 70 more prisoners in the VCJ[16]. In April of 1997 County attorney Lynn Francis said council members need to address the jail overcrowding issue soon because someone is threatening litigation against the county due to the conditions. As of April, County Commissioners Indiana
New Jail Proposals
Option 1: cells would be constructed on the existing first and second floors of the current jail building and an indoor and outdoor recreation area would be built on the roof. It would increase the number of beds from 130 to about 200 and would cost more than $3.9 million.
Option 2: new cells on the first and second floors of the current jail and an indoor and outdoor recreation area on the roof, construction of a new tiered cell pod at the third floor level. It would increase the number of beds from 130 to 320 and would cost about $8 million.
Option 3: construction of a two-story addition on the north side of the existing building, it would increase the number of beds from 130 to 222. Expected cost is more than $9 million.
Option 4: Under the commissioners' proposal, the two levels of administrative offices in the Vigo County Annex & Security Center 201 Cherry St. would be renovated to hold 160 prefabricated jail cells. In addition, the design calls for adding two floors - one with 65 jail cells and one with an indoor/outdoor recreation area. It would increase the number of beds from 130 to 352. Expected cost is more than $8.15 million17.
(Option 4) “A 352-bed jail would give the county the most space for future use, as well as short-term, revenue-generating holding of state or federal prisoners”. - Commissioner William Decker.
1997 Summary
Although the council agreed to fund a new jail addition, the debate will continue on and on about how much money should be invested into building the jail. Some council members begin to see that a jail needs to hold double the inmates of what the current inmate capacity is currently at (156 x 2). However, no realistic future inmate projections are brought to the council meetings. Moreover, Sheriff Harris’ predictions of a full jail in 2004 doesn’t bother any of the current commissioners or council members, some of which are still serving in the same or similar capacity in 2004 Also in 1997, the Indiana Civil Liberties Union is planning a multi-million dollar law suite due to jail overcrowding – soon a reality that won’t go away, even in 2004.
BOTTOM LINE
The VCJ has a capacity to hold 130 inmates. In 1997 the VCJ is operating at 120% (156) capacity but has gone as high as 132% (172).
1998
This is election year for Sheriff and the incumbent William Harris is running again. The Sheriff is asked questions by the Tribune Star in October[20]20.
Q: What do you think are the biggest problems regarding the Vigo County Jail right now? And how will you address them?
A: Maintaining physical control over the inmates, and controlling medical cost of jail inmates are the biggest problems facing the jail. As sheriff, I have worked closely with the county council and the commissioners in addressing the need for a jail expansion. We have crammed up to 173 inmates into the 130-bed jail. The new jail expansion should start in early 1999 and will alleviate the overcrowding when completed. In the first six months of 1998, $93,000 was spent on medical care of inmates. The hiring of a jail nurse to assess inmates health needs and charging the inmates.
1998 Summary
Only one article was found to be relevant to the jail overcrowding problem in 1998. This one article was very insightful, the Sheriff tells the public his jail has been 33% over inmate capacity for 1998 and that medical cost per inmate are increasing. Expense are expected to increase if you have on average 43 more people in cells then the jail is designed to hold. However, the follow up question to expenses is not asked, what are the medical expense’s attributed to? In 2004 the current Sheriff will also say that he needs more money in his jail budget for inmate medical expenses… to treat inmates hooked on drugs.
BOTTOM LINE
The VCJ has a capacity to hold 130 inmates. In 1998 the VCJ is operating at 122% (158) capacity but has gone as high as 133% (173).
1999
In May of 1999 a mad grandmother Patricia Creasey, has her grandson in the Vigo County Security Center Ruben H. Donnelley Building Terre Haute Wabash River Union ] threatened to sue the county to improve jail conditions. Our position is, unless the physical condition has changed, we still feel [jail conditions are] unconstitutional. Given that it hasn't been remedied up to now, we may very well have to intervene with litigation to force the issue, since it doesn't seem that it is being resolved on its own. I will review the issue and study what the council is doing. I am aware building a new jail takes time.” In June of 1999 more construction problems are brought to the attention of county officials[22]. A construction oversight brought the jail issue back to the County Council in March when county commissioners sought an additional $805,000 to add another floor to the existing jail, pushing the cost to more than $7.7 million. The council chose to table the issue to reconsider its options. Council President John Newton. States; "We don't know the contractors or the architects, but we have to decide on a general direction of progress. After discovering additional details of the plan to build new jail cells over existing county offices, I decided to take another look at other jail options. I was unaware, for example, that existing support columns for the office section of the Vigo County Annex and Security Center
The three-member Board of Commissioners is backing an option to convert county office space into jail cells and move existing county offices to the former Reuben H. Donnelley Corp. building in the 600 block of South First Street . Commission President Paul Mason says; “It was an option first considered more than two years ago. It's an idea that should again be considered. We can do this within the existing $6.9 million bond that was approved for [adding a third floor to the existing jail] and it would save time”. - Fontanet Leasing Corp., headed by Terre Haute Security Center South First Street . The vacated space will then be renovated and converted into jail cells. Some good news to ease jail overcrowding[24] is presented by Vigo Superior Court Division 1 Judge Michael H. Eldred he said; “I expect the county to have another court within five years (2004), increasing the need for more court space in the courthouse.
1999 Summary
The 1999 jail population broke the old one day inmate capacity mark. The jail is at 38% over capacity. From 1994 to 1999 the average daily jail inmate percent went from 107% over capacity to 126%. The maximum one day count went from 126% to 138% over capacity. The jail is now operating at the maximum point of 1994, this would have come as no surprise had analysis of inmate populations been done earlier. Some council members want a more labor effective jail pod design, which would save the county money in the long run, however, that is denied in council meetings. Also, there are expectations of a new court in Vigo County
BOTTOM LINE
The VCJ has a capacity to hold 130 inmates. In 1999 the VCJ is operating at 126% (164) capacity but has gone as high as 138% (180).
2000
Alleging that overcrowding at the Vigo County Jail creates "unconstitutional conditions of confinement," the Indiana Civil Liberties Union has filed a class-action lawsuit against the Vigo County Sheriff and the County Commissioners
Paige Freitag, staff attorney for the ICLU said; “Overcrowding can lead to lack of supervision, maintenance problems or dirty conditions, which can result in cruel and unusual punishment for the inmates. People have to keep in mind a lot of inmates in county jails haven't been convicted of anything. When the conditions in a county jail are so bad, those conditions really amount to punishment to people who are presumed innocent."
Sheriff Harris noted that county officials are moving ahead with the new, expanded jail. Next month, Vigo County offices will move from the Courthouse Annex and Security Center Vigo County Vigo County
2000 Summary
The new jail inmate capacity figure of 268 is mentioned for the first time in the news. The 268 is the maximum number of inmates the new jail can hold starting in February of 2002. However, on June 1, 2000 the old jail was holding 196 inmates, only 72 shy of the maximum 268 soon to be available in 20 months. At one time council members proposed a 352 inmate capacity jail for only $8.15M, wouldn’t that be nice now. The new jail will cost the county more than $4.96M when it’s all said and done in 2004. The jail can not keep its agreement with ICLU to keep the inmate population below 176. The VCJ had a hard time staying under 176 in 1998. Oddly enough, nothing is mentioned about drugs, meth, cocaine or drunks clogging up the jails, a common cry by the Sheriff in 2004. In 1992 the Indiana Department of Corrections was at 150% over capacity…the big waves are just starting to hit Vigo County Jail! This year the jail hit a one day 150% inmate capacity. The ripple effect is a fact not a theory. In 1993 the Indiana Department of Corrections becomes 190% over capacity. Vigo County
BOTTOM LINE
The VCJ has a capacity to hold 130 inmates. In 2000 the VCJ is operating at 130% (169) capacity but has gone as high as 150% (196).
2001
In November the jail was overcrowd[29]. “The VCJ hit 205 today," Sheriff Harris said. At 10 p.m. Saturday, the jail population was down to 196. Sheriff Harris says; Department of Justice figures show that the jail addition will prevent the facility from becoming overcrowded again until about 2007. However, alternative sentencing methods, such as in-home detention, have slowed the inmate growth rate and may push the problem further into the future. Vigo County Superior Court Division 1 Judge Michael H. Eldred said; “I believe local judges will continue to use alternative sentencing methods, when appropriate, to delay the return of overcrowded cells. I think that alternative sentencing will still be utilized by the judges as a viable alternative. Despite the possibility of future overcrowding problems, I am pleased the [jail overcrowding] situation has been rectified for now. The extra space means judges won't have to worry about overflowing the jail with inmates. In early October, the Vigo County
• “Of the 211 inmates housed Dec. 20 in the Vigo County Jail, 25 faced charges of meth possession or dealing”.
• “Others among the population did crimes because of their meth addictions, such as theft, burglary and robbery”.
• “Another 50 out of the 211 faced probation violations, half by simply violating some term of their probation”.
What’s the most common violation people are sent to jail for? Bill Watson, Vigo County Vigo County
Summary 2001
The jail is starting to level out at the 200 inmate capacity point. This year’s maximum one day inmate count was 211, just 57 inmates shy of the new jails minimum inmate capacity of 268. Sheriff Harris cites new jail projections done by the DOJ that state, the VCJ will not experience overcrowding again until 2007. Well, even GOD… oops.. DOJ can be wrong! There seems to be a renewed faith that local judges will start using alternative sentencing methods…what are the new methods available? Why haven’t they been used in force before? It was only back in 1996, 95, 94, 93 when talk about diverting inmates to community corrections, utilize work release, divert minor criminals to home detention, review cases of those minor offenders in jail to reduce bail, review charging policies that judges have, house VCJ inmates in other county jails, jail privatization, and Saturday courts were the new alternative sentencing the judges could use. If this sounds similar to past year’s solutions for jail overcrowding - - your right! Still the same rhetoric will continue for the next three years. The many solutions to jail overcrowding will reach a boiling point in 2004 when a county commission declares…what has changed in Vigo County…. to cause overcrowding. The talk about methamphetamine in the media increased twofold, and addicts are now the source of jail overcrowding. However, the county leaders, much like parrots repeat the fuzzy numbers to the media, talking only about the number of “meth labs busted’ - - Vigo County leads the State of Indiana
The new 268 bed jail still has not officially opened, but fighting in the jail forces the Sheriff to use unopened jail floors to separate prisoners. In November, the drug task force celebrates the partial opening of the jail with a round-up of prescription drug fraud criminals. - - Merry Christmas Sheriff!
BOTTOM LINE
The VCJ has a capacity to hold 130 inmates. In 2001 the VCJ is operating at 135% (176) capacity but has gone as high as 162% (211).
2002
This is an election year for the position of Vigo County Sheriff and some judges. Election politics play a big role in how the jail overcrowding will be handled. In January of 2002, a state jail inspector confirmed to Vigo County Union . County Council members must now decide if, and how, to pay the unexpected expense. Eight new jailers would cost the county more than $200,000 a year in salaries and benefits, according to one estimate. Councilman Brad Anderson pointed to past architectural studies that said the county would need to add only 13 more employees for its new jail. The county has already added 12 new employees for the jail since 1998."We asked you as an expert how many jailers we would need and at the time you agreed with 13. What has changed?" Downing said; “that like the architects for the jail, he was looking at the internal security jobs needed to operate the new jail, and did not consider external security duties of the jailers. I didn't catch that. I was shocked when I found out in July or August that the Sheriff had to rotate people out of the jail to the courts or for inmate transportation needs’. Councilman Phil Bird said: “I think adding 13 employees, on average costing the county $30,000, would add up to nearly $14 million over the next 20 years, excluding annual raises. I suggest the county could build a new jail using a more employee-efficient design for that cost and save in the long term. This jail is a money pit and will never quit being a money pit!” Sheriff Harris said; “The county jail held 220 inmates as of January 11, 2002” The issue of new jailers will be debated before the County Council in January[33]. Sheriff Harris's request of eight jailers would cost $175,928 in salaries plus another $40,000 in benefits, totaling $215,928. Also in January, three days after the debate about new jailers, The Vigo County's new jail addition can be completely open in about 45 days as the County Council approved the hiring of eight new jail correctional officers[34]. As one problem is resolved in the new jail, another problem appears. While the Vigo County Jail Vigo County County Superior Court Vigo County Watts said; …the best solution is to get nonviolent inmates out of the jail every day, at different times of the day, and clean up this community. A community work program can be supervised with an increased number of reserve deputies. We can't build bigger jails. Crockett and Chickadaunce each say; …working with community corrections and with judges to increase programs such as home detention can be tried. "I think the best way is to prevent [crime] and educate young people. Teach respect, responsibility and consequences [to] the youth." Jones said; …I "don't understand why the jail is overcrowded. The solution has to be with the judges and the Sheriff to work together to reduce it." Shahadey said; "Public safety will never take a back seat to overcrowding in the jail. We can establish a half-way house for these nonviolent criminals. We have to convince them not to want to come back." In July of 2002 the county commissioner decide to hire an outside agency to look at the jail overcrowding problem[37]. Finding a solution to overcrowding in the Vigo County Jail could be a matter of implementing a coordinated plan. Last week, Vigo County commissioners signed a letter enabling the Indianapolis Indiana Vigo County officials must decide if spending up to $65,000 for an Indianapolis U.S. Vigo County Vigo County Vigo County Clark County , Vigo Vigo County Clark County Vigo County Jeffersonville Vigo County Vigo
2002 Summary
Deputy Sheriff Marvel becomes Sheriff Marvel due to Sheriff Harris serving two consecutive terms and of course the citizens of Vigo Vigo County
BOTTOM LINE
The VCJ has a capacity to hold 268 inmates. In 2002 the VCJ is operating at 94% (251) capacity but has gone as high as 109% (292).
2003
The single biggest project! The President of the Vigo County Board of Commissioners Anderson hopes county officials can accomplish in 2003 is starting a work-release center[42]. Commissioners hope to convert a county garage at 13th and Crawford streets into the center. The goal is to reduce the number of inmates in the county jail. Cost is estimated at $1 million, yet commissioners hope to obtain up to 80 percent of that expense through a grant from the Indiana Department of Correction. The center would house nonviolent offenders, but also some as serious as class-B felons, depending on the offense. In 2001, as county officials marked the opening of the new Vigo County Jail addition, Judge Dexter L. Bolin Jr. foresaw that overcrowding wasn't a dead issue… Bolin often used the community corrections program for nonviolent offenders convicted of shoplifting, forgery, theft and sometimes even burglary. Bolin adds, "The more we enforce the law against drug abuse, the more full our prisons are going to be”. Vigo County Public Defender Dan Weber said[43]: "It's easy to tell who is on a meth charge,. It takes about two weeks before they make any sense at all. More and more disheveled and disoriented defendants have appeared in Vigo County Indianapolis Vigo County officials are turning to Indiana State University Indiana State University Vigo County Vigo County
BOTTOM LINE
The VCJ has a capacity to hold 268 inmates. In 2003 the VCJ is operating at 103% (276) capacity but has gone as high as 117% (314).
2004
One day in March the jail population hit an all-time high of 318. On that day Judge Michael Eldred released everyone who appeared on theft and other class-D felony level charges -- even those who were repeat offenders[46]. Also in March Sheriff Jon Marvel, frustrated by the Vigo County Jail's overcrowding problem, wants to convene a criminal justice council to look at ways to reduce the jail population[47]. Sheriff Marvel expects the inmate numbers to get worse in summer. The Sheriff suggests that different options must be found for nonviolent offenders. Options for some offenses might include a citation or a summons to appear in court. No one wants to be seen as soft on crime, but at the same time, "We've got to change the way we are thinking about this”. The Sheriff does not believe that a proposed work-release facility, part of the Vigo County Community Corrections program, will substantially reduce the problem. Sheriff Marvel is looking into other options for non-violent criminals[48]. Marvel said, "I think there may be, and I'm not sure, I want somebody to tell me in our criminal justice field. Is there some other venue some other place we can put those people and keep jail for the violent criminals? I'm not saying empty the jail, that's not the right thing to do either, but there has to be some other answer." Again in March Sheriff Marvel compiled a set of startling statistics[49]. In the past 12 months, 5,456 people have been booked into the county jail. Those inmates, all totaled, spent 108,692 days in the jail. The average length of stay per inmate was 19.92 days.
The bottom line on these statistics is that the average daily jail population during the past 12 months is 297.79, almost 30 inmates higher than the 268 capacity. In May the first meeting of a Criminal Justice Council (to study jail overcrowding). About 30 people attended the meeting on the campus of Indiana State University
“Other crimes are connected in some way with drug abuse. I think we can cut through this by saying it is a drug problem, probably 60 percent of the rest of the people who are in jail were under the influence of drugs when they committed that crime, so it is a lot higher number than 130 people. To address the jail's problem, you have to address the drug problem, there has to be a change in how we look at drugs. As long as prison is the answer, which is the easy answer, we will have this problem [of overcrowding].
Dr. Randy Stevens, physician at the county jail, states:
"Methamphetamine will never leave, it is still a problem in California
Sheriff Marvel spoke of one day at the jail as an example:
“On May 3, the jail housed 273 inmates. Of those, 130 people were jailed for drug offenses, while 40 were jailed for various probation violations. "That's about 63 percent of the jail population on drug offenses or probation.
Sheriff Marvel States;
Sheriff Marvel also suggests the defense attorney be present at all initial hearings. Marvel said; “The (work release) center will help, but is not the only solution. A work-release center would remove only 10 to 15 people from the jail, as most drug users are not working and could not pay for the work-release program”.
Judge Michael Eldred suggests;
“A review of a no-bail policy in effect at the jail on weekends. The policy states that people arrested on certain charges, such as a second-time driving under the influence offense, must be held until appearing in court. That means someone could be in jail for three days before they appear in court and are released. We need to take a look at that. The simple fact of the matter is we all have to bite the bullet in terms of the short range until we have other alternatives. We are going to have to let people out of the jail that we may not want out. That is the plain, hard reality of this situation.
Eldred also said. I like the concept of a fast track court, In 1990, Eldred said he scheduled between one and three criminal trials per week and not in every week of the year. In 2004, Eldred said he sets between seven and eight trials per week on all 52 weeks a year. "Obviously they all can't go at the same time and some have to be continued," he said. Yet if now arranged in such a matter, it could be two or more years before a defendant could go to trial, Eldred said.
Eldred said the problem he has seen, particularly with those charged with making meth, is that once they are released from custody, they immediately return to making the drug. Watson said;
Bill Watson, director of Vigo County Community Corrections, said he thinks funding from the Department of Correction could come this month to enable the county to build a new, 140-bed work-release center. That will help remove people from the county jail, he said. Kearns said; • Judge Jerome Kearns said he thinks it "is the state of Indiana Jefferson Street for drug abusers. Sheriff Marvel plans to conduct a second meeting next month, asking those attending to bring one idea to reduce jail overcrowding. In July the Sheriff states: "The epidemic is here[50],"[Meth] …whether people want to accept it or not, they're already paying for the problem in many ways. "It will affect you, individually, paying your taxes." The following week after this statement, Marvel said he will go to the County Council next week with a request for an additional $250,000 to help pay for medical care costs, many of them related to illness directly or indirectly associated with meth use. Also in July the Criminal Justice Council in Vigo County
2004 Summary
The year is not quite over with, yet since 1992 not a word in any news article calls into question, what is the role of the Terre Haute Chief of Police. Doesn’t the Terre Haute Police Department arrest over 50% of the people that get tossed into the Vigo County Jail? Just maybe there is a video in the making…. “City police gone crazy” Maybe some wise reporter should ask…What are you doing, Chief, to hold down the jail overcrowding? So who’s paying for the jail again – (answer: The County) To wrap this up, Is meth really to blame for the overcrowding? Or could it be the very few meth offenders we have in our area are the ones sitting in jail the longest taken up space? If only 400 people in our community do meth and 250 get caught…I think those people could sit a long time in jail. When you add the fact that most are allowed no bail or bail so high they can’t get out you begin to see who occupies the most jail space. Therefore, due to all the meth heads in jail there is no room for any other criminals. Why do the meth addicts have to be so selfish, can’t they take turns and share the jail with other criminals?
In 2000 Judges were saying the court was backed up with 6 months worth of cases. I would think that could cause a huge ripple effect for everyone’s case to be heard. Additionally, when you combine all the re-occurring court related cases it begins to look like a never ending cycle of the same people.
However you slice it, the end result is clear, these news articles are only one source. Moreover, there are many sides to this overcrowding story that haven’t been heard. Conversely, the medias role in reporting is to report the news…. not their opinion. The review of theses articles found that most of the news reports were to the point without commentary. So, to that end it was clear to the author after a careful review I found no attempts by County leaders to conduct a future inmate population projection studies prior to building the new jail.
There were no news articles that cited local officials reviewed or conducted a nationwide or local jail/prison/arrest trend analysis prior to building the new jail. The review of news articles also reveled there was no mention of efforts by local officials to combine new jail funding together with other jail diversion programs. Foremost, some local officials lobbied for a labor effective new jail design to utilize fewer county jailers, but in the end, they received no support from other County leaders for the project.
A review of the news articles showed an ethically disturbing side to the news media. The media, most likely and unintentionally, nevertheless, consistently printed or aired incorrect jail information facts and figures about the type of jail inmate and inmate population / inmate demographics. This was due in part to local officials providing the media with “fuzzy” information, i.e. 85% percent of the people in jail are there on meth related charges. There’s no disputing inmates currently in jail are awaiting charges for meth /meth related charges. However, media personnel believe like the public that 85% of the people the police arrest day to day are booked in for meth…that is simply not the truth. There in lies the confusion.
Additionally, The media should have made some attempts to investigate the authenticity of any information released to them by County officials. Any information stated in the Trib-star reports should be verified.
Lastly, the news articles reveled that a local tax-payer organization and the Indiana Civil Liberties Union influenced and pressured the county commissioners and council members into selecting a current jail based on low building cost and not long term functionality for increased inmate population capacity.
[1] 11/8/1992 Child support changes will add balance officials say. Tribune Star Staff.
[2] 11/16/1992 Police nab driver 5 times for alcohol use. Tribune Star Staff.
[3] 6/1/1993 Finding the punishment to fit the crime. Tribune Star Staff report.
[4] 4 6/28/1993 Tough decisions about prisons await Clinton
[5] 10/25/1994 Vigo
[6] 10/31/1994 Too close for comfort; Jail needs to be bigger, Jenkins says by John Wright, Tribune Star.
[7] 7/14/1996 Danger lurks at overcrowded, understaffed jails by Michelle L. Hudson Tribune Star.
[8] 7/14/1996 Vigo
[9] 5/31/1996 Expanding the jail; Time for county to lock in on issue by Tribune Star staff.
[10] 7/14/1996 Danger lurks at overcrowded, understaffed jails by Michelle L. Hudson Tribune Star.
[11] 7/14/1996 New jail won’t be reality soon; County looking at ways to reduce inmate population by Howard Greninger Tribune Star.
[12] 7/14/1996 Jail must add recreation area to avoid lawsuit by Howard Greninger Tribune Star.
[13] 7/24/1996 New Vigo jail questioned; taxpayers group opposes cost by Howard Grening Tribune Star.
[14] 8/1/1996 New Vigo jail certainly not a lock to be built; Board considers other ways to relieve crowding by Howard Greninger Tribune Star.
[15]8/15/1996 Not many choices for jail; Vigo
[16] 2/11/1997 County considers lease; Donnelley building may be used for offices, juvenile center by Howard Greninger Tribune Star.
[17] 5/3/1997 Seeking county jail expansion; County commissioners to ask council for $8.15 million by Howard Greninger Tribune Star.
[18] 7/27/1997 Pushed by overcrowding, threat of lawsuit by Tribune Star staff.
[19] 8/4/1997 Council finally makes decision; Jail expansion plan might not be perfect, but at least its moving ahead by Tribune Star staff.
[20] 10/25/1998 Vigo county SheriffRace by Tribune Star staff.
[21] 5/12/1999 Patricia Creasey is so concerned with overcrowded conditions in the Vigo County Jail, she has written a complaint to the ICLU by Howard Greninger Tribune Star.
[22] 6/1/1999 Nearly two years ago, Vigo County Officials…by Howard Greninger Tribune Star.
[23] 6/3/1999 Setting a new course; More good than bad in county jail plan by Tribune Star staff.
[24] 6/1/1999 Nearly two years ago, Vigo County Officials…by Howard Greninger Tribune Star.
[25] 3/4/2000 Lawsuit cites overcrowding at jail by Pete Ciancone Tribune Star
[26] 3/28/2000 ICLU should work with county on overcrowding by Tribune Star staff.
[27] 6/28/2000 untitled by Peter Ciancone 28 8/2/2000 Inmates, federal judge must ok plan by Peter Ciancone Tribune Star.
[28] /28/2000 untitled by Peter Ciancone 28 8/2/2000 Inmates, federal judge must ok plan by Peter Ciancone Tribune Star.
[29] 11/18/2001 Cramped inmates incite brawls… by Suzane Risley Tribune Star.
[30] 12/31/2001 New Facilities cost Vigo
[31] 12/31/2001 Connection ties substance abuse, violence by John Wright Tribune Star.
[32] 1/11/2002 Eight more jailers needed by Howard Greninger Tribune Star
[33] 4/11/2002 Kersey: ISTEP test needs to go. by Peter Ciancone Tribune Star
[34] 1/16/2002 County Council oks new jailers… by Howard Greninger Tribune Star.
[35] 1/16/2002 County lockup experiences problem..by Zach Taylor Tribune Star
[36] 5/1/2002 7 Sheriff candidates enter primary… by Howard Greninger
[37] 7/17/2002 Firm to look at Vigo County Jail… by Howard Greninger Tribune Star.
[38] 10/17/2002 Is it worth paying $65K to.. by Howard Greninger Tribune Star.
[39] 10/24/2002 Throng of voters expected… by Howard Greninger Tribune Star.
[40] 11/24/2002/ Tribune Star Editorial.
[41] 12/3/2002 Vigo County
[42] 1/3/2003 Vigo County
[43] 1/20/2003 Court jamed with meth offenders by Karin Grunden tribune Star.
[44] 3/13/2003 Vigo
[45] 6/18/2003 Vigo
[46] 3/9/2004 Vigo County Population hits 318… by Karin Gruden Tribune Star.
[47] 3/16/2004 No title by Sue Loughlin Tribune Star
[48] 3/16/2004 WTHI Action 10 News report by Bre Richard.
[49] 3/28/2004 Tribune Star Editorial.
[50] 7/16/2004 Democratic candidate Jennings
[51] 7/16/2004 Democratic candidate Jennings
[52] 7/1/2004 Three valley men serve on task force by Nicole Mullins tribune Star.
[53] 10/29/2004 WTHI Action 10 News report by Stephanie Miller.
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