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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPRISON BOARD MINUTES July 2024 FRANKLIN COUNTY PRISON BOARD MINUTES Franklin County Administration Building July 9, 2024 Present: John Flannery, Commissioner/Chairman Dean Horst, Commissioner Bob Ziobrowski, Commissioner Hon. Shawn Meyers, President Judge Harold Wissinger, Controller Benjamin Sites, Sheriff Carrie Gray, County Administrator Doug Wilburne, Probation Chief John Thierwechter, Asst County Administrator Mark Singer, Court Administrator Ellen Eckert, Pre-Release Director Kayla Stoner, Probation Supervisor Jeffrey Scott, FCJ Deputy Warden Heather Franzoni, FCJ Deputy Warden Michelle Weller, FCJ Deputy Warden Geoffrey Willett, Probation Deputy Chief Daniel Foy, Chief Deputy Sheriff I. The meeting was called to order by Commissioner Flannery at 8:30 AM. II. Public Comment A. There was no public comment III. Minutes for the June 2024 meetings were discussed. A. Judge Meyers moved to accept the minutes, Commissioner Horst seconded the motion and the minutes were unanimously approved. IV. Warden’s Report A. There were 112 commitments and 123 discharges in June. B. The average daily population was 236. The average daily population for males was 202 and it was 35 for females. C. The recidivism rate for all commitments was 36%. The recidivism rate for only those committed on new charges was 26%. D. There were 96 sentenced and 133 unsentenced inmates. There were three inmates on approved temporary absences to other county jails and 10 awaiting transport to the state institution. E. There was $1,502 in revenue from Room & Board fees and $6,338 collected from Central Booking fees. F. The average length of stay for those released in June was 57 days. G. A breakdown of the demographic statistics for June indicated that males made up 77% of the population, 73% of the population were white, 37% of the population was between the ages of 25-34, 70% were single and 81% had at least their high school diploma. H. PrimeCare’s medical report was presented. There were 959 sick calls. There were 16 outside medical appointments and eight trips to the ER. There were two hospital admissions. There were 663 mental health contacts. There were two inmates that required 1:1 observation. There was one inmate at Torrance State Hospital. There were eight participants in the Sex Offender’s Treatment Program. There were 53 in the Medication Assisted Therapy (MAT) program. There were 173 on the MH caseload and an additional 31 with SMI diagnoses. There were 32 commitments placed on detox protocol. There were no positive cases of COVID. I. May’s expenditures and budget were discussed. J. Commissioner Horst moved to accept the Warden’s report, Controller Wissinger seconded the motion and the report was unanimously approved. V. Intermediate Punishment report A. The Pre-Release department received 51 intakes in June and 45 discharges. B. There were 14 inmates placed into employment in June. C. There were 1,254 hours of community service completed. D. The Drug and Alcohol RIP/DCIP program had 63 offenders. There were 14 successful discharges in June. E. The Pre-Trial Supervision program had 37 offenders. F. The Sex Offender Program had 43. G. There were 24 offenders on the Mental Health caseload. H. The Electronic Monitoring Program had 12 offenders. I. There were 13 offenders detained in June and there were 8 that were given alternative sanctions. J. There were 105 jail days saved by using the alternative sanctions of electronic monitoring (388 days), DCIP/D&A RIP (1653 days), intensive supervision (30 days) and pre-trial release (1093 days). K. The Work Release program collected $16,955 and the Probation Department collected $212,121 in May. VI. Jail Expenses A. Sheriff Sites moved that the jail’s current bills be paid, Judge Meyers seconded the motion and the motion was unanimously approved. VII. Old Business A. DW Scott provided a staffing update. There are currently 73 officer positions filled, 29 vacancies and four pending. B. DW Scott gave a facilities update. There is a vendor walkthrough scheduled for tomorrow as the next step in replacing the security cameras. The contract for the new body cameras has been signed. VIII. New Business A. DW Weller discussed new initiatives in partnership with Franklin/Fulton Drug and Alcohol. There will be a Narcan distribution box placed in the jail lobby. There is also preliminary discussion on having a full-time Certified Recovery Specialist working at the jail. B. The selection of the Warden position was discussed. Commissioner Flannery said that he had received inquiries about the steps taken and had asked County Administrator Gray to explain them to the board. County Administrator Gray explained that the interview process consists of several rounds and the panels consist of key stakeholders that vary throughout those rounds. Once the selection is made, that person must be formally appointed by the Prison Board. 1. The involvement of Prison Board members in this process was discussed. While Prison Board members may be part of the interview panel due to their positions as key stakeholders, the process does not require a quorum. Board members agreed that panels should include stakeholders that represent the Courts and the Sheriff’s office, as well as County Administration and Human Resources. Sheriff Sites asked that Prison Board members be notified of any progress in the interview process. Commissioner Flannery asked that Prison Board members be invited to participate during each round of interviews and County Administrator Gray agreed. These invitations will require a definite yes/response, and an understanding that the process may move forward without them if there are scheduling conflicts. C. Sheriff Sites discussed concerns raised at the Police Chiefs’ meeting regarding the medical clearance requirement before new commitments are accepted into the jail. DW Weller explained that Title 37 requires medical clearance, however medical staff are reviewing the criteria for refusals. Once the criteria have been finalized, the jail will disseminate the information to local law enforcement agencies. IX. Executive Session A. Controller Wissinger made the motion to go into executive session to discuss a personnel matter, this was seconded by Sheriff Sites, and the meeting went into executive session. B. Judge Meyers moved to end the executive session, Sheriff Sites seconded the motion and the executive session ended. X. Appointment of Warden = Sheriff Sites moved to appoint Heather Franzoni as Warden, Controller Wissinger seconded the motion, and Heather Franzoni was officially appointed FCJ Warden. The next step will be approval by Salary Board. XI. The next meeting is scheduled for August 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.