The state Department of Corrections has accepted the corrective action plan that the Clark County Detention Center submitted after its second unexpected inspection in 2011, according to documents obtained by The Winchester Sun recently.
The Corrections inspector found five problems that repeated from the first inspection in May, and 11 new problems.
The repeated problems included two inmates not having property receipts in their files; one cell door that could not be shut; five cells and two dorms that were overcrowded; surveillance of the detox cell not being conducted every 20 minutes; and inmates not receiving required indoor and outdoor recreation, according to a Nov. 22 letter from Jeff Burton, director of the Division of Local Facilities, to Clark County Jailer Bobby Stone.
In the corrective plan of action dated Dec. 22, Stone said a property receipt is being inserted into every inmate file, that the cell door had been fixed, that jail administrators were working to fix the overcrowding in the cells identified and had transferred all state female inmates to reduce the problem.
He also said deputy jailers are conducting 20-minute cell checks on the holding cells and logging the inspections as required, and the jail will offer recreation three times a week, with all recreation conducted outside.
That plan was accepted in a Dec. 22 letter from Burton to Stone and Clark County Judge-Executive Henry Branham.
“The plan reflects a good faith effort to comply with the standards and your plan has been accepted as submitted,” Burton said in the letter.
Stone said because of the destructive nature of inmates the jail receives, the cell doors could be fixed one day, and be broken the next. He also said it’s difficult for jail staff to determine who causes the damage, because with eight to 10 inmates in some cells, people blame each other.
That problem, Stone said, will be alleviated once the new security camera system is installed in the jail. A camera will be installed in each cell, he said.
As for the overcrowding, Stone said the jail had to remove several female state prisoners. The jail lost five inmates, which cost about $34 a day per inmate. Earlier this month, the jail had 22 state male inmates.
Stone also said 20-minute increments of inspections are more common in the detox log, rather than 30 or 40 minutes. He said he instructs employees to report the real time, instead of “fudging” how often they’ve actually checked the cell. Depending on how busy the jail is, and how many employees are on duty, the detox cell sometimes doesn’t get checked every 20 minutes, he said.
Stone said that the jail had been providing recreation to inmates, but employees had not been logging that recreation, so now, they have begun doing that to have proof for the next inspection.
Todd Henson, public information officer for the state Department of Corrections, said the second annual inspection not only confirms that the deficiencies have been corrected from the first inspection, but it also identifies new deficiencies.
The second inspection of the Clark County jail identified 11 new deficiencies, including five dorms found to have one less bunk than inmates living in them; five showers either without drain covers or with drains in need of repair; several dorm sinks with no hot water or inoperable; showers without hot water; four cell ceilings with water leaks; and no storage provided to inmates for personal items.
Addressing the new problems found, Stone said inmates had been transferred out of the bunks with not enough beds, and extra seats would be installed where needed. He also said storage boxes had been ordered, shower drains in four cells had been installed, the leaking roofs had been repaired and a plumber had advised he will order parts and return later this month to repair the showers and sinks.
Stone said one of the problems with getting repairs done at the jail quickly is that the jail doesn’t have a full-time maintenance person.
Stone previously attributed the lack of outdoor recreation for inmates to the understaffing problem at the jail in 2010. Since then, the county allocated more money in its budget to hire more employees. High turnover rates, however, are still a problem with the jail, although one recent ordinance approved by county commissioners that boosts pay has helped alleviate that problem.
Commissioners enacted the ordinance that added the job title and description of a first-class deputy jailer to the policy and procedure manual. To qualify, a deputy has to work at the jail for at least six months.
The title doesn’t include any supervisory duties, but carries a pay increase from $7.25 to $8 an hour.
They approved the first round of those status changes in December.
“I think that has helped,” Stone said, adding that eight or nine jail employees have since been promoted to first-class deputy jailer.
Henson said the first inspection of the jail for 2012 has not been scheduled yet.
Contact Katie Perkowski at kperkowski@winchestersun.com or follow her on Twitter, @TheSunKatie.
