Members of the the Concurrent Grand Jury said in a final report that a new, state of the art, campus style facility is needed for the Hamilton County Jail.
The report says: "As stated by many Grand Juries before us, we see the need for a new state of the art, campus style facility. We know this type building would be a safer, more efficient building, and all things included, would help in streamlining daily procedures. We feel that one more cent put into repair of the building or anything in it, would be a waste. While we know that most people do not want this type facility in their 'back yard,' or paid for with their tax dollars, it should not be politically incorrect for any county commissioner to push to allocate funds for this.
"While most of us do not feel it is the responsibility of the county to provide comfort to people who do not make the right choices with regard to the law, we do understand that this part of society is real and has to be managed. Therefore, we feel someone on the County Commission needs to step up and at the very least, start a conversation in regards to a new County Jail."
Here is the full report.
The Honorable Don Poole
Judge, Criminal Court, Division III
Hamilton County, Tn.
Judge Poole:
The members of this Grand Jury have found their service to be an enjoyable, yet “eye opening” experience. To put it all in perspective, one Juror admitted he was excited to serve only as a way to miss work. However, after realizing the education he was receiving, and the service he was providing for his community, he began to look forward to each day he was to serve.
They learned that those who serve as Law Enforcement Officers care about our community and try daily to improve it. They are grateful for the job they do to keep our citizens safe and our streets calm. They leave their term with a greater respect for them.
They had the opportunity to hear from our three Criminal Court Judges as well as a Sessions Court Judge. As Foreperson, I have chosen to quote directly from one of my Juror's notes that I believe is well written and reflects how most jurors, on all panels, feel after hearing from them:
“Due to their prior background in law they are well qualified to adjudicate from good knowledge of the system, behaviors and psyche of the defendants, and are able to assess merits and failures of the prosecutors and defense attorneys handling the cases. All speak from motivation that goes beyond holding a position and obviously respect the office they hold, the lives they pass judgment on, and the system they work in.”
To aid them in the decision making process, they were given many tools such as how a field sobriety test is administered and how a canine officer conducts a search, just to name a couple.
The make up of this grand jury is as diverse as the personalities that go with each of them. We have a realtor with Keller Williams, a chemist with the city, a service specialist with Unum, a psychiatric tech with Moccasin Bend, a controller for Alliance Flooring Inc., and two employees of Volkswagen. We are rounded out by retirees from the U.S. Navy, the U.S. Postal Service, Chattanooga Academics, Tyco International, TVA, as well as our beloved Reverend.
Due to the holidays, their term was shortened by two weeks bringing down the number of cases heard to 598. This Grand Jury took seriously the charge they were given, came together as a group, and made decisions on the cases they felt needed individual attention.
It was part of their duty to tour Silverdale CCA, Juvenile Detention and Courts, the Hamilton County Jail, and listen to a presentation on Community Corrections. They were charged with reporting on the Hamilton County Jail and Juvenile Detention and Courts. It is with respect that they submit their observations to you on these facilities:
HAMILTON COUNTY JAIL
The professionalism and competency of the staff we encountered far exceeded our expectations. They were very open when sharing their knowledge and experiences with us.
Our tour, guided by Lt. Coppinger, left us with the impression that the staff are good people that enjoy their jobs and work hard to make things run smoothly with what they have. The leadership and staff should be commended for handling security while dealing with things such as; inmate rights, understaffing and mental health issues.
We found the Chaplain to have a true heart for the spiritual and educational needs of the inmates.
The kitchen, while full of older equipment such as a stove that is at 50 plus years, was found to be neat and organized. The week of our tour the freezer went down, and although they did what was necessary to keep from losing food, the repair was delayed due to locating parts for older equipment. We applaud the fact that food is prepared inhouse using inmate workers, and see that as a savings to taxpayers. Having said that, we feel that a hot breakfast and two other soup/sandwich type meals would be sufficient.
We found the medical staff to be competent, and to genuinely care for the medical needs of the inmates. We commend those who have been there for many years.When asked if they had a “wish list”, we were told by Supervisor of Prison Medical Jeff Williams, that they are in dire need of a wall heart monitor. This piece of equipment would enable them to continuously see the heart rhythm, blood pressure, etc. of a inmate in crisis. Being able to monitor them at these times can help in preventing unnecessary visits to the Emergency Room, therefore cutting costs.
We were dumbfounded to learn of the nearly $30,000 a month prescription medication cost. Knowing that most of that bill is paid for by the county, we were grateful to learn that the staff does take measures to cut cost. For example, they meet quarterly with their pharmacy to go over each inmate's medication and see if there are less expensive options.
With over 40 percent of the inmates on psychotropic drugs, we find it hard to understand why psychiatric care is provided a mere eight hours a week. We learned through the medical staff that when these inmates have a trained professional to talk with, it reduces violence in the jail and inmate/staff conflict. Trained professionals can also aid the staff in distinguishing between psychiatric concerns or substance abuse addictive behavior/withdrawal. We feel that it is imperative that this issue be addressed and corrected.
We found the ratio of correctional officers to inmates dangerously out of proportion. We learned that more money was recently allocated to hire additional officers. While they currently have nine new officers in training, due to the pay scale, they often lose them as fast as they get them. For those men and women who choose to take on a job that most do not want, we must pay them accordingly.
As stated by many Grand Juries before us, we see the need for a new state of the art, campus style facility. We know this type building would be a safer, more efficient building, and all things included, would help in streamlining daily procedures. We feel that one more cent put into repair of the building or anything in it, would be a waste. While we know that most people do not want this type facility in their “back yard”, or paid for with their tax dollars, it should not be politically incorrect for any county commissioner to push to allocate funds for this.
Futhermore, as stated in past reports, we wonder what catastrophe, resulting in a legitimate lawsuit would need to happen for this to be taken seriously.
JUVENILE DETENTION AND COURT
We found the facility to be clean and it appeared to us to operate efficiently. Our tour, guided by Asst. Superintendent of Detention Martin Harrelson, left us with the impression that he had a genuine concern for the youth that come through the facility. We found him to be very open with us in sharing the positives and negatives of their daily routine.
As we spoke with the educator of the facility, it was easy to see the passion he has for what he does. We were told that the youth are encouraged to keep up their school work so they do not get behind while in this facility. We feel this is very important and in order to facilitate this, we feel the classroom is in need of more desks and computers.
Knowing that for some of these juveniles a GED would make all the difference, we are asking that the classroom be given updated GED software. We feel this simple tool could ATTACH VALUE TO THEIR LIVES which in turn could steer some of them toward better life choices.
We are asking that the facility be given full time medical personnel. We feel it is of the utmost importance and would cut down on unnecessary transports to the hospital, which in turn would cut cost.
Court Director Antinio Petty demonstrated professionalism in his appearance and easily articulated his knowledge of the Juvenile Court system. It was encouraging to hear about the Peer Court and Youth Drug Court that Judge Philyaw has put into place. We were told that these programs are progressing well.
As other Grand Juries before us, we are asking that funds be made available to reinstate the Intensive Probation Program. This program was successful and could deter some of the more serious offenders from ending up in Criminal Court as adults.
GENERAL OBSERVATIONS
In light of the fact that most cases come about due to drug/alcohol abuse, it was uplifting to us to learn of and visit Judge Stern's Drug Court. We applaud Court Director Elaine Kelly and all Drug Court staff for the positive work they do. We look forward to a Mental Health Court coming to our county as we feel this would be as beneficial as Drug Court.
A FINAL THOUGHT
While most of us do not feel it is the responsibility of the county to provide comfort to people who do not make the right choices with regard to the law, we do understand that THIS PART OF SOCIETY IS REAL AND HAS TO BE MANAGED. Therefore, we feel someone on the County Commission needs to step up and at the very least, start a conversation in regards to a new County Jail.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
We wish to thank the following people:
- Criminal Court Judges Poole, Stern and Steelman, and Sessions Court Judge Sell for taking time out of their busy calendar to speak with us.
- Sheriff Jim Hammond for sharing with us the duties of the Sheriff.
- Assistant D.A. Bill West for his legal assistance; often going above and beyond to guide us in our service to the courts. His explanation of the law and how it pertained to the cases we heard, was imperative.
- Court Liaison's SGT. Kevin Akin and SGT. Jeff Rearden of the Chattanooga Police Department, as well as, Sheriff's Deputy Jeremy Long, and Don Keasing for getting our witnesses in and organized.
- Sheriff’s Deputy Gary Blair for escorting us on our facility tours.
- Larry Henry and staff of the Circuit Court Clerk’s Office; Aaliyah Hakeem of the Criminal Court Clerk’s Office and Jury Clerk Stormi Rogers. We appreciate everything you do for us.
- The administration and staff who conducted our tours through Silverdale, the County Jail and Juvenile Detention Center.
- Chris Jackson from Community Corrections for speaking with us about his programs.
- Narcotics Investigator Lee Wolff for educating us on the drugs that we hear about in our cases. We were given a great deal of information and appreciate the time you took to meet with us.
- Lt. Gene Coppinger for his interesting class on contraband and safety in the County jail.
- Jim Hughes and his staff for the lunch served to us in the County Jail. As always it was tasty and much appreciated.
- Larry Henry for providing in his budget, our lunch at Golden Corral while touring the facilities. This is much appreciated and not taken for granted.
- Randy Meckley for doing a great job as our official note taker.