HomeMy WebLinkAboutResolutions - 1975.08.21 - 14490Miscellaneous Resolution 7263 August 21, 1975
PUBLIC SERVICES COMMITTEE
ones W. Dunleavy, Chairman
BY: PUBLIC SERVICES COMMITTEE - James W. Dunleavy, Chairman
IN RE: JAIL EXPANSION
TO THE OAKLAND COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen:
WHEREAS, the Oakland County Board of Commissioners is charged
with the responsibility for providing safe and adequate jail facilities; and
WHEREAS, the Sheriff's Department in a recent report expressed
concern over trends in jail inmate population; and
WHEREAS, the Public Services Committee directed the County Executive
to investigate the possible need for expanding jail facilities and to
recommend a program for immediate and future actions; and
WHEREAS, the County Executive has prepared a report which outlines
several specific, immediate and near future actions.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Oakland County Board of
Commissioners accepts the County Executive's Jail Expansion Report and
directs the County Executive and the Sheriff to comply with the recommendations
of the report within the next sixty days and provde the Board of Commissioners
with precise recommendations on jail expansion, as necessary, including
capital and operating costs on or before December 31, 1975.
The Public Services Committee, by James W. Dunleavy, Chairman,
moves the adoption of the foregoing resolution.
Oakland County Executiv,
DANIEL T. MURPHY
REPORT TO THE PUBLIC SERVICES COM4IT7TI:
OAKLAND COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
ON THE POSSIBLE NEED FOR JAIL EXPANSION
DANIEL T. tiLPPY
COUNTY EXECUT7,I 1 E
August 5, 1975
SION COUNTY .4 WE REPORT ON PROPOSED
In response to a report presented by the Oakland County Sheriff's
Department to the Public Services Committee of the Board of Commissioners
in July of 1975, the County Executive directed his staff to irlyigate
the reported ovr-,-"_:rowded conditions in the jail and to outline a
procedure for identifying the type of additional prisoner facilities
needed. The Executive directed that both short term and long terJ
be considered,
The Sheriff's Department and the St I n;T):-:rtint of CoTr ---ts,
were consulted during this inquiry.
SIT JATIOr\1
ident capacity, beds
Men - 426
Total - 470
Trusty ,Camp - 60
(The 'Above figures do not include the- holding tank, infirmary, or bookin
PROBLEM
In a letter dated May 27, 1975, Mr, Robert J. Russell, Supervisor of
Facility Inspections, Michigan Department of Corrections ., stated: ,
'Records of daily counts indicate that during' 1974 the normal carity of
the men's cell area has been exceeded on 57 days and the normal capacity
of the women's area has been exceeded on 6 days. Further, • the total habitable
capacity of the jail has been exceeded on 6 days."
Statistics and reports from both the Department of Corrections, and
2
1 .r ,
the Sheriff's Department indicate the present over-crowding has not
yet reached crisis proportions. Both believe, however, that the situation
is serious enough to require immediate attention. The administration
concurs in that belief.
In addition to the overall jail population problem, the County
Executive's staff found the women's popuThLion problem to be unique and,
in some ways, "Tore serious than the problm regarding male prisoners.
t earn their way to the 7'1,71.1F;1..y Carp, as facilities
are not available for them at that facility. Furthermore, the exercise
facilities at the jail are barely adeTla'rn fc)r the ro -cent..
Usually, women are allowed o.,t of their e(J1s for e7,:eitj_se only after the
exercise periods for men, prisonerE, interviewed by of
the County Executive's staff felt this situation to be very unfair, if
not discriminatory. Many claimed they had not been let out of their cells
for days. Sheriff's Department personnel verified that, in periods of
overcrowding, women prisoners suffer the consequences more than men.
Any solution to the general population problem at the jail should
include remedies for the special problems of w,-Dmn.
TWo .other significant factors should be mentioned in defining the
problem.
First the jail was designed at a time when nest prisoners were actually
sentenced to the jail; that is, they had committed crimes requiring sentences
of one year or less in the county jail. The number of felons being - held
for trial or transfer to other facilities was far smaller than the number
of persons sentenced to the jail. The situation has since reversed
The majority of prisoners are now felons being temporarily held in, not
sentenced to, the county jail. The typical stay in the county jail for felons
3
is seven. months.
Second, there now exists a. much higher incidence of prisoners in
jail for drug related offences than previously. Although state law does
not prohibit transfer of these individuals to the Trusty Camp, the present
sheriff's department operation takes only limited advantage of this.
POSSIBLE ACTIONS TO BE TAKEN
As has been suggested by the County Executive in the past, and more
recently by the sheriff, two actions. can immediately be undertaken to
relieve over-crowding in the short-term. -
1. Full use of the Trust Camp facility.
2. Reduction, as neecle(r1 : in the nui.Tiber - of fc-!r."4:-.9-fl 1. prisoners held
Transferringan additional 22 prisoners to th:-: TrLsty Camp and
removing all federal prisoners from the jail would cr,7 - an additional -
62 to 72 beds. With these actions, present facilities would be adequate
until the beginning of 1977.
During the one and a half years of breathing room the above actions
would Provide, one or more of the following alternatives should be irp ,
1. Expansion of the 'r -'sty Camp.. . A 60 bed wing could be built in
six months at the Camp for less than $100,000 and op7ruled bor less than
$200,000 a year. The camp culfJ be operated. for - 15 :-y-(s for F:v,:o.3->dmately
$3 million (no inflation factor).
2. Addition of medium risk facilities at the present jail. The
present jail is a maximum security facility, the most expensive type to
build and operate. Since some of the prisoners have not been convicted
of a crime, and others are in jail for drug related and. other non-violent
crimes, it would appear that a medium security facility would be adequate
for a large part of the jail population.
-...,,x-pected. --up of
s (Thr7; t
low seen
uncon7,7:1-.-. "1 It 1, • Mix tn space r
security wing at the jail without kne 7ercentage of the
3. EXpansion of maximum security facilites, by 250 beds, at a cost
of approximately $3,5 million. •
4. Addition of low security (trusty). facilities at the jail. .
instead Of the Trusty Camp, -mby providing a slightly higher level of
security and taking advantage of jail rbaitation and other pr(a2
available at the jail.
Intelligent decisions on these al rnatirs cannot be made without
a great. deal mere regarding p.c.'
the jail -:/-q73ation, Proper identification
is ncce -.''.,n - to determine the need:, for m:
waste of 'ayTayer 7,--)ney, for , to an additional.
population - let alone the predicted - can only be held in such
a facility. Similarly, it would be folly to c 7_-15. the Trusty Camp without
assurances that a sufficent number of prisoners could, and would, be
transferred out of the jail to the Trusty
The recent approval by the Board of Commissioners and the State LEAA
office of the jail rehabilitation. grant represents an important first
step in the information gathering process. Using this grant, the sheriff's
department should be able to provide adequate prisoner identification and
classification information within the next several months.
RECO=N-
The following actions should be taken immediately:
1. Full use of the Trusty Camp.
2. Reduction in number of federal prisoners held, as space needs
dictate.
3. Development and implementation of a better exercise program, for
inc; cos t
.11y2ration
ons
female prisoners. Greater use of women as trustys should also be .
undertaken.
4., Development of a proposal for short-term expansion of space
within the jail for female prisoners, using, if necessary, space made
available by imi ,7 r7m,- tation of items 1 and 2
5. Identification, and classification of prisoners, using the jail
rehabilitation grant, in a manner that clearly shows the amount of
maximum, medium, and low security space needed.
be taken by thu end of the year:
1. and the County
7,71th precise -
ii an
recommendations should take all facto.:s whic-th Influence
jail, population, including policies and statutes
of the judicial system and actions of local- police agQ.,Aes%
2. The Board of Colifttissioners should act on those 3:
Tho following action
provide theciard, of
expansion, if nt---ccs:7
Clerk
#7263
Moved by Dunleavy supported by Fortino the resolution be adopted.
A sufficient majority having voted therefor, the resolution was adopted.
STATE OF MICHIGAN)
COUNTY OF OAKLAND)
Lynn D. Allen, Clerk of the County of Oakland and
having a seal, do hereby certify that I have compared the annexed copy of
Miscellaneous Resolution #7263 adopted by the Oakland County Board of
Commissioners at their meeting held on August 21, 1975
with the original record thereof now remaining in my
office, and that it is a true and correct transcript
therefrom, and of the whole thereof.
In Testimony Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand aA
affixed the seal of said County at Pontiac, Nic111:-
this 21st day of_Au g ust — „ 1,9
Lynn D. Allen... Clea