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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPRISON BOARD MINUTES January 2024 FRANKLIN COUNTY PRISON BOARD MINUTES Franklin County Administration Building January 9, 2024 Present: John Flannery, Commissioner/Chairman Dean Horst, Commissioner Bob Ziobrowski, Commissioner Hon. Shawn Meyers, President Judge Christopher Schell, Warden Benjamin Sites, Sheriff Harold Wissinger, Controller Ian Brink, District Attorney John Thierwechter, Asst County Administrator Doug Wilburne, Probation Chief Etta Rotz, Deputy Controller Jeffrey Scott, FCJ Deputy Warden Mark Singer, Court Administrator Geoffrey Willett, Probation Deputy Chief Ellen Eckert, Pre-Release Director Heather Franzoni, FCJ Deputy Warden Kayla Stoner, Probation Supervisor Michelle Weller, FCJ Deputy Warden I. The meeting was called to order by Commissioner Flannery at 8:30 AM. The new Prison Board members were welcomed. II. Public Comment A. There was no public comment III. Nomination and Election of Prison Board Officers A. Commissioner Flannery was elected to be President. Commissioner Ziobrowski nominated Commissioner Flannery, Judge Meyers seconded the motion and Commissioner Flannery was unanimously elected. B. Controller Wissinger was elected to be Secretary. Commissioner Ziobrowski made the nomination, Commissioner Flannery seconded the motion and Controller Wissinger was unanimously elected. VI. Minutes for the December 2023 meetings were discussed. A. Controller Wissinger moved to accept the minutes, Judge Meyers seconded the motion and the minutes were unanimously approved. V. Warden’s Report A. There were 130 commitments (104 males, 26 females) and 129 discharges (108 males, 21 females) in November. B. The average daily population was 233.5 The average daily population for males was 205.3 and it was 28.2 for females. C. There were 86 sentenced (77 males, 9 females) and 144 unsentenced (122 males, 22 females) inmates. D. The average length of stay (ALOS) for those discharged in December was 89.7 days and the median length of stay for December was 55.1 days. The yearly average length of stay was 71.1 days. Those statistics from December 2022 showed the ALOS to be 53.4 days for the month and 77 days for the year. E. There was $727.87 in revenue from Room & Board fees and $4,509 collected from Central Booking fees. The total amount in revenue was $5,237 for the month and $84,353 for the year. F. A breakdown of the demographic statistics for December indicated that males made up 72% of the population, 72% of the population were white, 37% of the population was between the ages of 25-34, 74% were single and 55% had at least their high school diploma. G. PrimeCare’s medical report was presented. There were 91 inmates diagnosed with a co-occurring disorder. There were 86 inmates on MH medication. There were 35 inmates diagnosed with a Serious Mental Illness and an additional 157 on the MH caseload. There were no inmates at Torrance and two awaiting transfer. There were 31 inmates placed on suicide watch and two inmates placed on constant observation. Thirty-seven commitments were placed on detox protocol upon commitment. H. November’s expenditures and budget were discussed. Eighty-nine percent of the year’s budget has been spent. I. Controller Wissinger moved to accept the Warden’s report, Sheriff Sites seconded the motion and the report was unanimously approved. VI. Intermediate Punishment report A. The Pre-Release department received 23 intakes in December and a total of 507 for the year. A look at the past six years showed the following breakdown: 898 intakes in 2018, 750 in 2097, 584 in 2020, 644 in 2021, 511 in 2022 and 507 in 2023. Commissioner Ziobrowski pointed out the lower numbers of intake and exits. Chief Wilburne said this was due to several factors, including larger pre-trial release and electronic monitoring programs, initiatives from the courts and District Attorney’s office, and the new process of assigning caseloads according to risks/needs. B. There were 44 discharges in December. A look at the past five years showed the following breakdown: 716 in 2019, 665 in 2020, 599 in 2021, 511 in 2022 and 525 in 2023. C. There were 13 inmates placed into employment in December and a total of 152 for the year. A look at the past five years showed the following breakdown: 281 in 2019, 73 in 2020, 15 in 2021, 63 in 2022 and 152 in 2023. Judge Meyers asked if APO maintained statistics regarding the number of inmates who are not available to work and Deputy Chief answered that it was tracked. D. There were 2153 hours of community service completed in December. E. The Drug and Alcohol RIP/DCIP program had 59 offenders. There were seven successful discharges in December. There was an average caseload of 62 offenders in 2023 and there were 93 successful discharges. F. The Pre-Trial Supervision program had 39 offenders. G. The Sex Offender Program had 40. There were 17 successful completions in 2023. H. There were 37 offenders on the Mental Health caseload. I. The Electronic Monitoring Program had 14 offenders. There was an average caseload of 14 offenders in 2023 and there were 46 successful completions. J. There were 12 offenders detained in December and there were 21 that were given alternative sanctions. K. The Work Release program collected $25,988 and the Probation Department collected $178,626, in December and $231,374 and $2,602,199 for the year. L. Chief Wilburne introduced Kayla Stoner as the new Specialized Services Unit Supervisor for Adult Probation. M. Chief Wilburne discussed the new probation reform bill, which is to be implemented on June 14, 2024. He said he is developing a webinar to explain the bill and plans to have it ready by February or March. VII. Jail Expenses A. Controller Wissinger moved that the jail’s current bills be paid, Commissioner Flannery seconded the motion and the motion was unanimously approved. VIII. Old Business A. Warden Schell provided a staffing update. There are currently 67 officer positions filled. Commissioner Flannery referenced the new union contract being in effect, so hopefully the higher officer wages will attract more applicants. B. Warden Schell gave a facilities update. The jail is in the process of reviewing proposals from potential vendors for the security camera upgrade. IX. New Business A. Warden Schell reported on House Bill 900: Dignity for Incarcerated Women, which clarifies guidelines for the incarceration for pregnant, laboring and postpartum inmates, as well as the distribution of feminine hygiene items for female inmates. An upcoming change is that all pregnant inmates must be transported to a designated safe space upon their release. There is also a stipulation of adequate visitation between incarcerated parents and their children. Another guideline requires 72 hours of post-delivery bonding between the inmate and her newborn. Judge Meyers asked if this extended to court and sheriff transports. Warden Schell clarified this bill addresses corrections facilities only. X. The next meeting is scheduled for February 13, 2024 at 8:30AM at the Franklin County Jail. Commissioner Ziobrowski moved to end the meeting, Controller Wissinger seconded the motion and the meeting was adjourned.