BentonCountyIssues.net
On Wednesday, June 29, 2005 Barb and Lee Walgora, another lady, and Mary Benton
toured the Henry County Sheriff's Office and Correction Facility, with Corrections
Lieutenant Dicus and Chief Deputy Randy Gean for one and a half hours. Cameras were
on us from the time we entered the ten (10) acres of property until we left. In
March, 2001 this facility was opened and put into use. It is built inside the old
Holley Carburetor Factory. There is a lot of room inside for more cells and
expansion. We were able to see into all the cells we wanted. All of their prisoner
cell windows are open so the prisoners could see us and we could see them. Some of
the isolation cells had a covering on them that could be easily moved.
The floors show the wear from when it was a factory but it is clean. The jail that
is built inside is made with concrete blocks and concrete slab ceilings. They have
many private offices for the Corrections Lieutenant, Clerk, Sargent Patrol
Lieutenant and others, there is a booking room, examination room, eating area with
round metal tables and attached stools, inmate multipurpose room for inmates wanting
to get their GED while incarcerated, 12 step programs such as alcoholics anonymous
meetings, etc., and many other rooms.
They are Civil Service, and have six (6) months time from the hiring of an employee
for that person to qualify as a civil service employee. They can be let go for any
reason within that six month period. That way it gives the employees some job
security so that when a new Sheriff is voted into office they don't have to worry
about whether or not they will be let go. And they are able to keep qualified
officers with experience.
They were able to buy kitchen equipment, a huge cooler, dishwasher etc. from the
Atkins Porter school. The kitchen is all, or nearly all stainless steel. They give
their prisoners three (3) meals a day.
The metal factory that is now the jail has a lot of ceiling height inside and they
were able to put in a second floor with cells and the control room, there is no
toilet in the control room. The door to the control room is kept closed and locked
at all times, and there is a glass insert in the floor to a 1st floor isolation cell
so that the inmate can be watched if necessary.
The jail opened in March of 2001 and was holding 139 prisoners, 29 female, and 110
males on the day we were there. Although they opened with a facility to hold 22
females, today they are over capacity with 29 females inmates. The men and women are
not separated to where they can never see each other, they cannot see into each
others cells. If they are walking through to see visitors or whatever then they can
be seen. They have one cell block for 36 males, and 3 cells that hold 18 each. They
do have about 6 isolation cells, and some cells with two and four beds. Capacity for
the jail is 172, and they have plumbing roughed in for 2 more 18 bed cells ready to
go when needed.
They are working with the Judge there to either have the inmates on camera on their
court dates, or to have the Judge come to the Facility. Thirty-one employees staff
the jail. They work 12 hour shifts, with 6 on a shift.
They did all this for under $5,000,000.00, they are no longer in the downtown area
of Paris, they have 10 acres, and more room for expansion inside and outside. They
sure did one heck of a job in Henry County! Do you think [Benton County] can do as well, or
better than Henry County?
By Mary Benton, Barbara and Lee Walgora
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