Since Roy had such a positive reaction to Jeffrey Cross's wonderful (and wonderfully civil--how refreshing) email response to his column on the bike lanes, allow me to speak on the subject of the jail. First off, Roy's right about some things:
It is overcrowded, underfunded, and understaffed. This is no secret, it's in the Grand Jury report every term. Here's the most recent: http://www.chattanoogan.com/2015/8/26/307028/Grand-Jury-Report-Stresses-Importance.aspx (I'd attach more, but they all say pretty much the same thing.)
He's right that the cuts in the mental health services have contributed greatly to the overcrowding.
Lastly, he's right that he knows precious little about jails.
My father retired from the Hamilton County Jail, and I have 18 years in the law enforcement/ criminal justice field. As a 9-1-1 professional (and a supervisor) I have taken many a first call for help, and my share of folks' last calls too. Many chiefs and sheriffs have said that 95 percent of the problems are caused by 5 percent of the people, and that is the Gospel truth. When you watch the news, and you see where one person has killed another, and the photos they show of them have a gray background, those are mug shots. It means neither of them was a stranger to the jail. Go to the county's wonderful website. Click on court records, then browse the docket. Pick a serious crime, and then search by that person's name. Many, many people have arrest after arrest, many times for the same or similar offenses over time. Better yet, go sit in court, just for a day (it can be entertaining) and see the revolving door.
Roy stated:
There are over 500 more prisoners being detained at Silverdale who should be in the county jail, but the sheriff has nowhere to put them.
Fact:
Actually, Silverdale is run by CCA through contract with the sheriff, who has a lot of oversight.
It is true that the jail is overcrowded, but Silverdale was designed for longer-term housing, to supplement the jail while serving a different set of needs. Silverdale is for lower-security inmates, who can do work-release, freeing up space at the downtown jail for those who require a higher level of security or who have pending court dates.
Additionally, Silverdale allows total separation of male inmates from females, something that is not feasible and is thus not done at the jail downtown--no female inmates are kept downtown. They either bond out, or get transported to Silverdale.
Roy: About 20 percent of Hamilton County prisoners are taking psychotic medications. That’s 200 human beings whose mental-health needs are not being handled appropriately and, in a word, that is inhumane.
Fact: If they are taking medication, and are under the supervision of the jail's excellent and dedicated medical staff, their needs are probably being handled better than they would "on the outside". Whether or not they deserve to be in jail, or are legally responsible for their alleged crimes, is not for us to say. It is possible that, had they been properly handled before said alleged crime, it might not have been committed, but that's not the jail's fault. And just because they are in jail, it doesn't mean they are being treated inhumanely. Oh, and did you know most jail staff have special training in dealing with mentally ill folks in crisis? Yes, they do, because not only do they deal with them when they're arrested, they're the ones who serve those 72-hour mental health confinement papers--trying to get badly-needed help for them, to keep them out of jail by getting them help at Moccasin Bend.
Speaking of the jail staff, they do a very good job considering all of their responsibilities. The daily booking report generally averages around 40-50 bookings; that's an average of about two an hour, and at least that many bonding out as well. There are head counts, and visitations, and phone calls, and court appearances. There are inmate transports--to Erlanger, to Moccasin Bend, to prisons across Tennessee--all done by our wonderful and dedicated jail staff. They also have to guard any prisoners who are sent to hospitals, 24/7/365 while they're in the hospital. It's a dangerous job, spending eight hours in close proximity to that many inmates, some of them violent. They do all this for a starting salary of around $32,090 per year.
In addition to the medical care, there is also the opportunity for chapel with volunteer chaplains, classes to help obtain a GED, and other enrichment opportunities.
The stories Roy cited are horrible, but why did he feel the need to demean the fine folks at Hamilton County Sheriff's Office over actions in West Tennessee two years ago, and Oklahoma City who-knows-when? And, as a journalist, surely he knows that an anonymous source is not always reliable. If the woman wouldn't give her name, or the dates she worked there, how do we know what she said is true? How do we know she exists? Remember that reporter who got a Pulitzer, only to admit the story was made-up? It happens.
As for his comments on the Violence Reduction Initiative, I do not think it's a waste of money at all. It takes time for crime to drop with a program like this, in large part because it takes so long for the cases to make their way through the courts. Many of them are still out on bond, awaiting trial, and still committing crimes. I guarantee you, if folks will be patient, you'll see, in two years, things will have improved. In the meantime, Chief Fletcher is leading by example, out in the community, making friends and being a positive influence, and that's priceless.
I think Roy owes the fine, hardworking folks in the jail a huge apology, and if he asks, maybe they'll give him a tour--I promise you, Roy, it'll be an eye-opener, and well worth your time. Plus you'll no longer know "precious little about jails".
Kim Kinsey
Red Bank