Pot times July 16, 2005

Report On Jail Flawed

URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v05/n1123/a11.html
Newshawk: Herb

Pubdate: Sat, 16 Jul 2005
Source: Gainesville Sun, The (FL)
Copyright: 2005 The Gainesville Sun
Contact: voice@gvillesun.com
Website: http://www.sunone.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/163
Author: Cindy Swirko
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/pot.htm (Cannabis)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/people/steve+oelrich

SHERIFF: REPORT ON JAIL FLAWED

A report on a study of the culture of the Alachua County jail contains erroneous and incomplete observations and information, Sheriff Steve Oelrich said in a written reply to the County Commission.

A key finding of the study was that some detention officers choose certain inmates to enforce rules on other inmates.  The enforcers got special privileges in return.

Oelrich told The Sun Friday that most of the findings in the report were nitpicking.

Oelrich said the study was the waste of money that he had predicted it would be.

"I told them that from the word go and the report confirmed that," Oelrich said.  "There are things they didn't research well or ask the right questions about."

The study, which cost about $150,000, was requested and paid for by the County Commission partly in response to the reported 2003 rape by an inmate of a University of Florida student serving weekends for a marijuana conviction.

An investigation revealed that the inmate suspected of the assault, Randolph Jackson, had been given privileges by officers including a say in who would be placed in his housing pod.

The study indicated that similar practices are continuing.  David Bogard of the New York-based firm of Pulitzer/Bogard & Associates, which conducted the study, reported that one officer said he selected the "biggest bully" in the pod as his rule enforcer.

Oelrich said Friday that detention officers need the help of inmates because of the staffing situation - 60 to 80 officers on any given shift to oversee an inmate population that often exceeds 1,000.

But Oelrich said the sort of relationship between detention officers and inmates that led to the reported rape is rare.

"It happened in the alleged sexual assault where they gave him way too much latitude in and out of the cell.  But two people got severely disciplined for that," Oelrich said.  "The detention officers have to have inmate help to keep everything clean.  I hope they have a fairly positive relationship with all of the inmates."

In response to the Bogard report Oelrich wrote that "Officers are well aware that this is a prohibited practice, and if the ( the consultants ) had any information specific here by staff, then they should have informed ( jail ) command."

Bogard said Friday he had not seen Oelrich's response and could not comment on it.

Overall, the Bogard report states, the jail is professionally run and is safe.

Oelrich said the report has some errors.  One involved moving female inmates suspected of misdemeanors to a housing area for suspected felons if overcrowding exists.

The report said that if this happens to inmates who are trusties, they lose that status and can be deprived of gain time.

Oelrich, however, said the inmate would still receive the same amount of gain time.

Another error, Oelrich said, regards the reporting of use-of-force incidents.

Bogard said a failure by top jail officials to review the reports indicates an informal culture that does not adequately value quality assurance.

Oelrich said consultants "did not go to the correct place to review these reports or ask the correct questions."

He said the report "clearly erred" on this issue.