Inmate count rises during second quarter
The Garland County Detention Center’s average daily inmate population increased from 314 during the first quarter to 344 in the second quarter, according to the quarterly jail report provided to the Garland County Quorum Court earlier this month.
The 349 average for April included a second-quarter high of 381. Staffing levels when the $42 million jail opened in June 2015 allowed its direct supervision principles to be maintained with an inmate count of up to 346. Chief Deputy of Corrections Steven Elrod said elevated inmate counts notwithstanding, the direct supervision protocols are still in effect.
Direct supervision places detention deputies amid the inmates. With no intervening barriers between staff and inmates in the day areas of the jail’s six housing units, deputies manning work stations positioned at the center of the units have an unobstructed view to continuously monitor inmate activity.
It’s a counter to traditional supervision in correctional settings with rows of cells instead of cells clustered around a central area where inmates can move freely. The former limits staff to monitoring one cell at a time and creates a remove from the inmates that inhibits communication.
A classification system assigns inmates to housing units based on a variety of factors, including the severity of the charges they are being held on, or if they are state inmates awaiting transfer to the Arkansas Department of Correction. Elrod said closing a housing unit rated for lower inmate capacity and opening one with more capacity has allowed the jail to maintain direct supervision without adding staff.
“Essentially with the same staffing levels, in theory we now can house 373 inmates,” said Elrod, who assumed administration of the jail in December. “However, in order to operate the facility as promised to the community under the philosophy of direct supervision, we carefully monitor and manage our inmate population in an attempt to maintain 15 percent available bed space.
“This allows us to effectively classify our inmate population. To do so is an essential principle used to uphold safety for staff as well as the inmate population.”
Elrod said the facility’s jail management software showed an inmate count as high as 381 in April, which included several inmates being held in the booking
area while they awaited classification. He said the population has never exceeded 400.
Seventy-six of the 84 sworn, or certified, positions budgeted for the jail are filled, with 55 of the 61 deputy positions currently staffed. Elrod referenced a news article that listed corrections officer as one of the country’s most dangerous jobs to illustrate the difficulty of retention and recruitment.
The jail report showed 28 assaults against staff occurred during the first six months of the year and attributed an increase in “troublesome” inmates to the growing prominence of mental illness among the inmate population.
The special reaction team was deployed four times during the first half of the year, and restraints were used 114 times.
“Looking at recent weeks, we currently hold three inmates on felony charges due to assault on staff,” Elrod said. “In addition, a few inmates have been criminally charged due to damages to the facility and its property.”
The report showed the detention center facility fund’s 2017 budget had an almost $3.7 million balance and $3.1 million in expenses after six months. The three-eighths cent sales tax voters approved in 2011 to operate and maintain the jail supports the facility fund, which, according to the county’s office of financial management, had a more than $5 million balance at the end of August.
Elrod said the state’s Criminal Detention Facilities Review Committee has prompted other jurisdictions to inquire about adopting and implementing some of Garland County’s polices and procedures.
“The committee noted that they will continue to encourage other facilities in the state to contact Garland County regarding operations and programs,” Elrod said, noting the committee’s May audit of the jail found no deficiencies. “The committee members were highly complimentary about the work being done in Garland County and have encouraged other jails to come look at our operation as the model facility in the state.”
He said Union County has asked for guidance on improving its operations, and Sharp County for help on strengthening its inmate transport procedures. The Utah Department of Corrections has asked for assistance in transitioning one of its facilities to the direct supervision method, Elrod said.
The public safety consulting firm that filmed a segment for a training video at the jail last month also offered praise, he said.
“Comments were made such as, ‘If the term best practice were exemplified by a building, this would be it,’” he said. “The finalized product will be seen by thousands of police officers, detention officers and fire service personnel throughout the country, another opportunity to showcase the Garland County Detention Center and its staff.”