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Home My WebLink AboutPRISON BOARD MINUTES August 2026 FRANKLIN COUNTY PRISON BOARD MINUTES Franklin County Jail August 17, 2026 Present: Ben Sites, Sheriff/Chairman John Flannery, Commissioner Dean Horst, Commissioner Hon. Shawn Meyers, President Judge Harold Wissinger, Controller Ian Brink, District Attorney Heather Franzoni, FCJ Warden Doug Wilburne, Probation Chief Geoffrey Willet, Probation Deputy Chief Carrie Gray, County Administrator David Sunderland, FCJ Deputy Warden Jeffrey Scott, FCJ Deputy Warden Michelle Weller, FCJ Deputy Warden Rebekah Reigner, Court Administrator John Thierwechter, Assistant County Administrator I. The meeting was called to order by Sheriff Sites at 8:30 AM. II. Meeting Agenda Commissioner Horst moved that the jail’s agenda order be modified to allow for the executive session to be the fourth item, Controller Wissinger seconded the motion and the agenda was unanimously changed. III. Public Comment There was no public comment IV. Executive Session Commissioner Horst moved for the meeting to go into executive session to discuss jail staffing, Controller Wissinger seconded the motion and the meeting went into executive session. Commissioner Flannery moved for the meeting to go out of executive session, Controller Wissinger seconded the motion and the meeting went out of executive session. V. Minutes for the July 2026 meetings were discussed. Commissioner Horst moved to accept the minutes, Controller Wissinger seconded the motion and the minutes were unanimously approved. VI. Warden’s Report There were 160 commitments and 144 discharges in July. The average daily population was 287 with 239 males and 47 females The recidivism rate for all commitments was 45%. The recidivism rate for only those committed on new charges was 36%. A snapshot look at statistics for July showed there were 95 sentenced and 203 unsentenced inmates. There were three inmates being held for other counties and eight federal inmates. There were 34 inmates on approved temporary absences to other facilities and seven awaiting transport to the state institution. There was $1968 in revenue from Room & Board fees and $5821 collected from Central Booking fees. The average length of stay for those released in July was 66.9 days. The reports on inmates housed both in and out of county were given using June’s numbers. There were 33 inmates held in other county jails, with a total expense of $86,896. There were 50 inmates held for other agencies, with a total income of $25,497. PrimeCare’s medical report was presented. There were 1126 sick calls. There were 17 trips to the ER and 17 outside medical appointments. There were three hospital admissions for a total of 12 days. There were 696 mental health contacts. There were no inmates at Torrance State Hospital and no inmates awaiting transfer. There were three inmates on constant observation. There were 72 in the Medication Assisted Therapy (MAT) program. There were 248 on the MH caseload and an additional 68 with SMI diagnoses. There were 35 commitments placed on detox protocol. There were no pregnant inmates. A trendspotting report on the current inmate population showed that 68% were unsentenced, 65% were on the MH caseload and 16% were diagnosed with a Serious Mental Illness. June’s expenditures and budget were reviewed. Controller Wissinger moved to accept Warden’s report, Commissioner Horst seconded the motion and the report was unanimously approved. VII. Intermediate Punishment report The Pre-Release department received 44 intakes in July and processed 33 discharges. There were six inmates placed into employment. There were 2083 hours of community service completed. The Drug and Alcohol RIP/DCIP program had 76 offenders. There were eight successful discharges in July. The Pre-Trial Supervision program had 46 offenders. The Sex Offender Program had 41. There were 31 offenders on the Mental Health caseload. There were 20 on the Intensive Monitoring Program caseload. There were 19 participants in the Good Wolf Treatment Court. There were 14 offenders detained and there were nine that were given alternative sanctions. There were 160 daily jail bed days saved by using the alternative sanctions of intensive/electronic supervision (600 days), DCIP/D&A RIP (2367 days), treatment court (582 days) and pre-trial release (1418 days). The Community Release program collected $17,221 in July and Probation’s Payment Division collected $236,205. VIII . Deputy Chief Willett reviewed the 2026-2027 Franklin County Intermediate Punishment Plan. He highlighted the changes as being updated graphs, updated cost savings, updated language from “offender” to “court supervised individual”, and the addition of language on Act 44. Sheriff Sites asked if this process was a state requirement and Deputy Willett answered that it was a requirement to receive annual funding. Sheriff Sites moved to accept the plan, Controller Wissinger seconded the motion and the minutes were unanimously approved. IX. Jail Expenses Commissioner Flannery moved that the jail’s current bills be paid, Commissioner Horst seconded the motion and the motion was unanimously approved. X. Old Business Warden Franzoni provided a staffing update. There are 44 FT officer positions and four PT positions filled. A job fair is scheduled for later this month. Warden Franzoni gave a facilities update. The security upgrade is going well. The jail’s PREA audit is scheduled for September. The new exercise equipment continues to be added to housing units. XI. New Business = None XII. The next meeting is scheduled for September 21, 2026 at 8:30AM at the Franklin County Administration Building. Commissioner Flannery moved to end the meeting, Controller Wissinger seconded the motion, and the meeting was adjourned.