Sheriff Dunn’s Original Letter to

the Jasper County Commission.

April 26, 2011

"This correspondence is to address the continued over population of inmates at the Jasper County Detention Center. This is an issue that must be resolved immediately in the interest of safety for my employees, incarcerated inmates, and the public areas of Carthage surrounding the Detention Center.

In an effort to discuss this issue with you again, I have come up with the following information.

• There are six (6) pods, two (2) regular holdover cells, and three (3) medical holdover cells.

• A Pod can hold a maximum of eighteen (18) inmates.

• B Pod can hold a maximum of twenty six (26) inmates.

• C Pod can hold a maximum of thirty four (34) inmates.

• D Pod can hold a maximum of forty (40) inmates.

• E Pod can hold a maximum of twenty six (26) inmates.

• F Pod can hold a maximum of ten (10) maximum security inmates.

This means that the Detention Center was designed to house a maximum of 153 inmates. The five (5) holdover cells capable of housing one inmate each must remain uncommitted to house inmates with suicidal or medical issues.

The current inmate count as of April 25, 2011, is two hundred thirty two (232). As you can see, this is seventy nine (79) over maximum occupancy.

From January 1, 2011, thru April 24, 2011, the Detention Center has booked 1318 people into the center, 324 of those in the partial month of April. In the same time frame we have bonded 1010, 225 of those for the partial month of April.

In an attempt to resolve the overcrowding conditions, my staff and I have:

• Met with and discussed the issue with all Jasper County Judges.

• Made numerous calls to the Prosecuting Attorney and Judges to get inmates released under certain circumstances.

• Helped inmates make contact with family & friends to assist them in bonding.

• Make weekly trips to Dept. of Corrections instead of every other week.

• Searched for grants to help with funding.

The following are huge safety issues that exist in the Detention Center:

• The Simplex System is malfunctioning again and is nearly beyond repair.

• Most cell doors can be easily defeated (opened) by inmates.

• All showers have inadequate ventilation.

• Mold is starting to appear in cells due to overpopulation and improper ventilation.

• The Control Tower is not properly grounded and takes lightning hits while employees are close by.

• Due to overcrowding issues we have to hold suicidal or behavioral inmates in the multipurpose or attorney room, or cuffed to benches in the book-in area. This in turn creates an issue for Attorney visits at times.

• Condensation forms around the windows causing additional problems.

As the elected Sheriff of Jasper County, it is my sworn responsibility to protect all citizens of Jasper County and that includes my employees and those housed in the Detention Center. Therefore, my staff and I have formulated a plan to transfer in a timely manner, all inmates over the maximum limit of one hundred fifty three (153) to nearby County facilities."

My brother worked on a pig farm ta help pay his way durin’ his college years. Said it wasn’t that bad a work, but he started noticin’ the resemblance ‘tween hogs and people.

He said that some of the oinkers would go to the water trough and just stand there blowin’ bubbles. They wouldn’t be thirsty, but just didn’t want any of the others to get in place.

He [my brother, not the pig] started noticin’ that if he was in a bad mood when he came in ta feed the animals, there was much disruption throughout the community. Other days he’d be hummin’ a tune and talkin’ quiet, they’d all be happy as could be.

One day he thought he’d get by bein’ a little late, but the pigs squealed.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

---

Weekly Column

THIS IS A HAMMER

By Samantha Mazzotta

There’s No Fixing Droopy Light Switch

Q: Lately when I turn on the light switch in the bedroom, the switch goes up but then drops loosely down to the halfway position. Why is the switch doing this? -- Jacob C., Cleveland

A: The switch is broken and must be replaced. There’s no fixing it, but the part is not expensive. Replacing a switch isn’t an especially difficult task, but if you’re at all uncertain about doing it or totally inexperienced with electrical tasks, have an experienced friend replace the switch, or hire an electrician.

If you’re determined to do it yourself, great. You’ll need a standard screwdriver and needle-nosed pliers, and keep a wire cutter/stripper nearby in case it’s needed. A voltage tester (or multimeter) is important to make sure no electricity is coursing through the circuit during the replacement job. You’ll also want to purchase the replacement switch.

Turn off the circuit that controls the switch. The best way is to leave the light on and have a helper call out when you’ve switched off the correct circuit at the box. To make absolutely sure that no power is reaching the switch, take the face plate off and use your voltage tester by placing one sensor tip against one of the two screws on the side of the light switch (you’ll see a wire attached to each) and then placing the other sensor tip against the second screw. If the tester does not light up, electricity is not flowing to the switch; if it does light up, electricity is still flowing and you should not start the repair until the problem is remedied.