Transfer time for inmates is studied

A common pleas judge says there's a lot of reasons that delay prison transfers.
By PATRICIA MEADE
VINDICATOR CRIME REPORTER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Speeding up the time it takes to send Mahoning County jail inmates to state prisons will save money and free up cells, says a federal court special master.
Toledo lawyer Vincent M. Nathan, at the direction of U.S. District Judge David D. Dowd Jr., hired two assistants to study the time that elapses between sentencing, the order to transfer to prison and the actual transfer.
Nathan's assistants compiled a database of 75 inmates who were sentenced to prison on or after June 1.
Nathan is acting as a fact finder for Judge Dowd, who is taking steps to make the overcrowded and understaffed jail on Fifth Avenue constitutionally sound.
The Akron judge, in response to a successful inmate class-action lawsuit in March, has capped the main jail population at 296; it can hold 564.
Delays add up
Nathan's report, filed Wednesday in Akron federal court, says that of the 75 inmates studied, on average, 15 days elapsed between the day the defendant was sentenced and transported to prison. He said total cost of the delay was $76,976, or $1,026 per prisoner. The cost was based on a daily charge of $68 to house an inmate at the jail.
Nathan said the study supports two conclusions. He said increased efficiency will significantly relieve population pressures on the jail. Also, speeding up the pace at which inmates leave for prison will result in cost savings.
Judge James C. Evans of common pleas court said Wednesday that the prison transfer process works like this: Once a defendant is sentenced by a judge, notice (a judgment entry) is sent to the clerk of courts office; a clerk prepares a warrant to convey and sends it to the sheriff's department; the sheriff's department then arranges to transport the inmate to prison.
Clerk of Courts Tony Vivo could not be reached Wednesday afternoon.
Why they can stay in jail
Judge Evans said there are several reasons that might delay a jail inmate's transfer to prison. He said one clerk is designated to prepare the warrants to convey and that clerk may have other duties.
He said some inmates may remain in jail after sentencing because they are needed to testify in other trials, or because they have a probation violation hearing pending. The inmate also may have cases pending in lower municipal or county courts.
Judge Evans said the jail study of time elapsed between sentencing and conveyance to prison may not be an accurate reflection of what is actually happening. He said each case would have to be examined to determine if the prisoner had other matters pending.
Nathan's assistants used the Mahoning County courts' Web site to compile their data. The Web site shows many entries were not posted until days or weeks after court events.
Judge Evans pointed out that the courts' dockets -- the entry system that records each event on the Web site -- are not current. He said it hamstrings all judges to not have dockets up to date.
The clerk's office, as with other county departments hit with budget cuts, is short-staffed.
meade@vindy.com