Jail works to manage inmate violence

Three of the four significant disturbances that occurred last year at the Garland County Detention Center came in the final quarter, a spike jail officials attributed to gang identifications gaining currency among the inmates.

Incidents involving four or more inmates engaging in gang fights, hunger strikes, work stoppages, hostage situations, major fires or other large-scale incidents qualify as a significant disturbance, of which one was reported in October and two in November, according to the fourth quarter jail report.

Fifty-one incidents of inmate violence against staff were reported last year and 98 offender-on-offender attacks,

including a high of 16 reported in October.

“We experienced an increase of incidents due specifically to security threat groups (i.e. gang affiliations),” the report said. “Detention staff have risen to the occasion, exploiting training and tremendous awareness to same, which has led to the successful operation of the detention center.”

The report said the incidents notwithstanding, inmate morale has been buoyed by the numerous self-improvement programs offered at the jail. Twenty-seven inmates graduated last year from the GED program administered by National Park College’s adult education program. Forty graduated from the substance abuse program, 52 from the parenting course and 61 from anger management.

The jail’s workforce alliance for growth program, or WAGE, graduated 146 inmates last year.

Recruiting and retention efforts have been unable to improve staffing levels, creating an adverse effect on jail personnel.

“A decrease in staffing has made a negative impact on staff morale,” the report said. “In short, staff are attempting to do more with less. Staff morale is best categorized as fair. Efforts are being made to alleviate the same.”

The 336 average daily inmate count for October, November and December matched the previous quarter. December had the highest average daily population, but the 375 in November was the highest single-day total of the quarter.

The second quarter’s 344 average daily count was the most of last year. It included a single-day high of 381 in April. The 168,000-square-foot facility can house 625 beds, but jail officials have said with current staffing levels only up to 373 inmates can be managed using the direct-supervision method that places jailers amid the inmates with no intervening barriers.

A classification system assigning inmates to housing units according to disposition, risk level, criminal history and other factors is critical to direct supervision, which informed the design of the large day areas inside the $42 million facility. Jail officials have said Garland County is the state’s only detention center that has built its policies and procedures around the direct-supervision method.

The report said higher inmate counts have strained the jail’s maintenance budget. Its building and repairs line item was raised to $42,000 this year, a more than 70-percent increase from 2017.

“During the fourth quarter we experienced over $10,000 of unexpected maintenance costs,” the report said. “As our inmate population rises, more maintenance and housekeeping expenditures shall follow.”

The report said an inmate wielding a shelf that had been detached from a jail cell caused

$3,590 of damage.

“All property was repaired, and the inmate was criminally charged,” the report said.

Chief Deputy of Corrections Steven Elrod, who’s been the lead administrator at the jail since December 2016, said the jail is still working toward American Correctional Association accreditation. A mock audit simulating the scrutiny of an ACA review of jail policies is scheduled for later this year.

“The jail is still seeking accreditation,” Elrod said. “We’ve only been open (since June

2015). It’s not uncommon for new facilities to take five-plus years to reach this milestone, specifically when undergoing a new methodology for operation which is foreign to Arkansas local detention facilities.”

The report said staff training increased by more than 5,000 hours compared to 2016, a 40-percent increase that exceeded the 5- to 10-percent goal.

“Detention staff have received more training and are continually being commended on their professionalism,” the report said. “Our facility is still justifiably regarded as the state’s most progressive and professionally operated detention center. All stakeholders should be proud of what is being accomplished on a daily basis.”

The county approved an almost $7 million budget for the jail this year. A three-eighth-scent sales tax that raised more than $4 million last year supports its operation and maintenance.