Jail Division - 2008

    The Jail Division is charged with the safe and secure operation of the Stark County Jail. The division is staffed by county employees who serve as Deputy Sheriff's, Corrections Officers, Drug & Alcohol Counselors, Clerks, and Supervisors.    In addition contract service employees for food, medical and mental health needs also make  up the division as well as volunteers.  These persons ensure the security of the jail and provide the wide array of services to the prisoners that are required by state and federal laws.  Some of the services are:  counseling, visitation, religious, commissary , library, and educational

The Stark County Sheriff’s Office has taken an aggressive lead in contracting many of these services to private companies in the community that once were performed by Sheriff's Office employees.  The total medical / mental health and food services are both under contract to outside vendors, and Deputies once assigned there have been re-assigned to either jail security or law enforcement duties. This concept has been proven to be cost effective and affords a more manageable system of control and inventory.

Prisoners confined in the jail include those charged with every type of criminal offense from the most minor traffic charge to those facing capital punishment. These include prisoners awaiting trial or sentencing, transfer to a state institution, fugitives awaiting return to other states, and those inmates awaiting probation or parole revocations. Also confined in the jail are those persons committed by any of the counties’ three municipal courts, Common Pleas Courts and Domestic Relations Courts.

The Stark County Jail is a 24 hour a day booking facility for all law enforcement agencies in Stark County

The jail contains space to keep 501 inmates. There were 12,726 individuals booked into the Stark County Jail in 2008.  Persons sentenced to the county jail may remain up to two years. However, the average time spent in the county jail was 18 days.  

BOOKING
    Booking operates around the clock, seven days a week with a staff of twelve (12) officers and six (6) booking clerks.  They are responsible for the booking and releasing of all inmates. 
    The booking clerks obtain all pertinent information from the arresting agency and the offender, which they then record in the Jail's Information Management System. 
    The officers fingerprint and photograph each inmate for identification purposes.  Officers classify each inmate for tendency of violence/vulnerability  for housing purposes.  They also inventory and store each prisoner's personal effects for safekeeping and contraband control.  Officers ensure that before housing an inmate that the inmate showers, is issued jail clothing, a hygiene kit, bedding, and a copy of the jail Rules and Regulations.
    Total bookings for 2008 were 12,726.  A breakdown of 9,587 males and 3,139 females

SEX OFFENDERS
Sex offenders are registered through the ID Bureau.  A registration consists of fingerprints, photographs, and a Duty to Register Form being completed.  Offenders are also registered on an on-line system called ESORN which is a direct connection to Ohio Bureau of Identification and Investigation
    Any person required to register must notify the Sheriff's Office every time they change their address or employment within the county or are going to move out of the county.
    The number of registered sex offenders in Stark County for 2008 is 831 and the number of registrations were 1,842.  Forth-Eight (48) sex offenders moved out of the county.

CERT
Correctional Emergency Response Team:   In 1998 the formation of a Correctional Emergency Response Team  was started utilizing correctional officers and deputies assigned to the jail security force.  These officers are assigned to each shift and respond to all use of force, cell extractions, fights and any disorders within the jail.  They all have assigned positions and specialized equipment to handle these incidents.

INMATE SERVICES
The purpose of Inmate Services is to assist inmates with non-medical social service needs and to provide inmate programs.  The department consists of one (1) supervisor, four (4) service officers, two (2) account officers, and two (2) clerks.
    Inmate Services has many functions and responsibilities, including: commissary; visitation; assisting inmates making phone calls for legal representation and social services; prisoner property releases; processing inmate property left behind; sorting inmate mail; inmate haircuts; assembling and distribution of inmate care packages; hygiene kits and handbooks.  Inmate Services also arranges and supervises all in-house professional appointments for inmates by outside agencies. 
    The Stark County Sheriff's Office owns and operates its own inmate commissary.  Commissary sales for 2008 totaled $263,472.  All profits from the sale of hygiene products, clothing, food items and games are used to purchase supplies and equipment for the inmates.  The money was used to purchase hygiene products and clothing for the indigent inmates, winter coveralls and hats for the inmates who work outside and inmate uniforms and footwear.  In 2008, store profits in Commissary totaled $128,704.
    Commissary is also responsible for the handling of all incoming and outgoing monies in the inmate checking account.  In 2008, the amounts were $482,177 incoming and $440,912 outgoing.
    Commissary supervises video visitation for the inmates.  Video visitation for the inmates offers flexible hours five (5) days a week.  In 2008 14,598 visitors registered to visit an inmate.  There were 2,251 visits for females and 12,347 visits for males.
    Stark County  has contracted with Global Tel-Link (GTL) to provide collect phones in the jail for the inmates to use.  State standards require that phones be available for use by the inmates from a secured area.  A commission is paid to the Stark County General Fund for each collect call which in turn reduces the cost of jail operations.  In 2008, $287,563 was received by the General Fund.
    
RELIGIOUS SERVICES   
Non-denominational Chapel Services and Bible Study classes are provided each week.  Currently close to 400 Clergy and volunteers are registered with the jail.  Inmate Services conducts background checks on each applicant for registered clergy.  Bibles and other religious materials are distributed to the inmates upon request.  These books are returned when the inmate gets released from jail.

AA and NA
Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Narcotics Anonymous (NA) are offered weekly to the inmates.  These programs are popular with the inmates because members of the community facilitate them.  Security background checks are conducted by Inmate Services prior to the program leader's entrance into the jail.  Only those inmates who are classified as non-violent may participate in these jail programs.  All programs offered at the jail are voluntary in nature.  Most programs have a waiting list due to class size.  Inmates are removed from the program if they miss more then one meeting

AOD PROGRAM
    A chemical dependency counseling program to inmates with substance abuse problems.  On-site counselors facilitate the groups; provide case management services and aftercare for inmates in the program.  This program was developed in an effort to control jail overcrowding and to make the most efficient use of a sentenced prisoners time in a productive manner.
    The program is certified by the Ohio Department of Alcohol and drug Addiction Services to provide counseling services.  All counselors in the program are Licensed and/or Certified Chemical Dependency Counselors with prior working experience in correctional settings.

INMATE WORKER COORDINATORS   
     There are four (4) officers assigned to supervise and coordinate inmate workers.  The Sheriff's Office utilizes 52 inmates as workers, 48 males and 4 females.  Inmate workers are inmates of the jail that are put to work in different capacities based upon their abilities and security risk they pose.  It is estimated that the labor savings that these inmates provide Stark County is over one million dollars..
The details that they do are as follows:
SCRUB GANG: Inmate workers that pass cleaning supplies into the inmate housing units.  They clean on a daily schedule the floors, walls, bars, windows, heating ducts. vents and lights in the jail.
MAINTENANCE: Inmate workers that assist maintenance personnel as helpers and provide total grounds keeping service.
FRONT:  Two male inmate workers that keep the front offices, lobby, classroom, locker rooms, patrol room  and restrooms clean along with the Emergency Preparedness Agency and 911. 
GARAGE: Inmate workers that wash and perform preventative maintenance checks on the vehicles.  the workers check fluid levels, tire pressures, air cleaners and also wax the cars as needed.
KITCHEN:  An AM shift and a PM shift assist kitchen contract workers with food preparation, serving of trays to inmate housing areas three times a day and washing of trays.  They are responsible for cleanliness of the kitchen.
LAUNDRY:  Inmate workers are responsible for washing and drying all inmate jail uniforms, blankets, sheets and bedding cots and mats.

LITTER DETAIL
Litter Detail - in 2000 the Stark County Sheriff's Office, in conjunction with the Ohio Department of Transportation, started a program utilizing inmates to pick up litter along designated state routes within Stark County.  This program has expanded to several crews and the participation of the Stark Waste Management District.  The deputies working this assignment are paid by these agencies and Stark County is reimbursed for the use of the vehicles.  No General Fund monies are expended on this very successful program.

FOOD SERVICE
ABL Food Management   The food service staff has one (1) manager and six (6) cook supervisors.  All seven (7) are responsible for serving, training, and maintaining the kitchen.  They work with twenty-four (24) inmate workers that help to prepare and deliver the meals to the housing areas. 
    A four week cycle of menus is used and has been analyzed by using the Food Processor Nutritional Analysis Program which ensures that each inmate receives an average of 2,700 to 3,200 calories per day.  This meets or exceeds the 100% of the recommended dietary allowances as set forth by the Federal Government.
    In a years time, 15,000 pounds of ground meat, 7,000 pounds of turkey bologna, and over 1,000 gallons of pudding are used for meals
     The kitchen is inspected twice annually by the Canton Health Department to ensure compliance with Ohio's Food Service Laws.
   

MEDICAL DEPARTMENT
Correctional Health Care Group, Inc.   The medical department has a staff of twenty (20), which includes one (1) director, two (2) doctors, one (1) dentist, four (4) registered nurses, and seven (7) licensed practical nurses. 
    Mental health staff includes one (1) psychiatrist, one (1) psychologist and two (2) counselors and one (1) secretary..

MAINTENANCE DEPARTMENT
    The maintenance unit consists of four (4) employees.  They perform all routine maintenance for the entire Stark County Safety Building and the extensive grounds.
   Duties consist of electrical work, mechanical work, plumbing, welding and maintaining the various mechanical systems throughout the building, such as: cell doors, boilers, water softeners, HVAC and keeping the kitchen facilities operational.
    Seasonal issues are: in the summer months there is mowing to be completed, in the winter months the sidewalks, driveways and parking lots must be cleared of snow and ice. 

Some interesting facts and information about county jails and how the Stark County Jail measures up for the citizens of Stark County

Jail Division inspection by the Ohio Department of Rehabilitatin and Correction