Jail health
that need to be addressed, Garner said. “It is our biggest hot-button topic and the area where we seem to be having the most issues.
“Executing this agreement is the first step in that process,” Garner said.
Providing quality health care to detainees is an important task for the jail, she added.
Beyond that, Garner said she intends to pursue more jail-related certifications in the future to make sure it delivers “top-notch services in all we do,” she said.
The CEO already has instituted policies designed to boost the training of the jail’s staff.
While Oklahoma only requires 40 hours of training for a jail detention officer, the jail trust now sends all new employees through a total of 440 hours of in-class and on-the-job training.
“If there is any way we can get better and improve our services, that is what we are going to do. We are trying to get ready to move into a new facility, and while that might be years away, we need to start now. This (the medical certification) is just the first of many accreditations I would like to pursue,” Garner said.
Jail population continues to fall, latest information shows
Garner also updated trust members recently with the jail’s latest average detainee count, the most common reason detainees are being brought to the jail and its ongoing efforts to boost its number of employees.
The jail’s average number of detainees during February was 1,229 — the count March 11 was 1,211, down from about 1,400 the previous year — and a detainee’s average length of stay inside the jail during the month was 6.14 days. An average of about 59 people were brought into the jail daily.
Garner said the jail’s employee count this week stood at 256, about the same as it was the month before, despite bringing on board 14 new graduates from its most recent academy. The class members started their six-week, onthe-job training this week.
“That number has not been moving, much. We lost a few employees (after they were placed on administrative leave). That’s just part of the job,” Garner said.
Because the jail continues to operate understaffed, Garner said it is using some of its unused staff funding to incentivize both new and existing employees.
New recruits are being offered a $2,500 bonus, with half of that paid upon completion of a first year’s service and the remainder paid after he or she completes a second year on the job.
Existing employees are being given a $300 bonus on their employment anniversary for every year of service, up to a maximum of $1,500 for five years.
Quarterly performance incentives have been developed that will be paid to jail employees who meet set goals.
Beyond that, Summit, the contractor that provides detainees and staff with prepared meals, has begun offering free meals (including a salad bar) to jail staff within its dining area.
“That’s been a really popular incentive. Although what was offered before was affordable, free is even better,” Garner said.