Problem, solution

Fighting crime requires more than one approach, Mayor Jay Williams and Police Chief Jimmy Hughes say.
By DAVID SKOLNICK
CITY HALL REPORTER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Youngstown's crime problem won't be solved by a plan to house city misdemeanor prisoners in the Mahoning County Jail, the mayor and police chief say. But it's a good start, say officials.
"It's one piece" of the solution, Mayor Jay Williams said. "It's one component."
There is no quick fix for reducing the amount of crime, Williams said, adding that addressing the city's crime problem is his No. 1 priority as mayor.
"There are days when I'm a proponent of a 1,000-bed jail," he said.
The jail was designed to hold 468 prisoners, and can house 564 with double-bunking, said county Sheriff Randall Wellington. Also, the currently closed misdemeanant jail can hold an additional 96 prisoners.
Besides finances, education and economic development are important factors in fighting crime, Williams said.
"We need to educate children to deter crime," Williams said.
Teachers are not solely responsible for that, although their involvement is vital to steering children in the right direction, he said. That responsibility needs to be shared by parents, community and faith-based leaders.
Personal responsibility
The breakdown of the traditional family structure has led some to become professional criminals, said Williams and Police Chief Jimmy Hughes.
"People don't want to talk about morality," Williams said. "We need to help people not make bad decisions."
Williams and Hughes were reared on the city's East Side.
"I've seen people get killed right in front of me" as a youth, Hughes said. "There is a lot of social pressure" on kids to commit illegal acts -- pressure put on by their friends.
Williams grew up with people who were killed before they made it to age 25, and others who are doing exceptionally well for themselves.
"There is no guarantee you'll make it in life," he said. "There is no easy solution. I flipped burgers at McDonald's. I dug ditches. There are jobs out there for people who want to work."
Williams hears criticism from people who want him to spend as much money as the city has on hiring police officers to fight crime. But city money can be and is being used in other ways to reduce the crime rate, he said.
Related efforts
The city spent 1.2 million in 2006 tearing down dilapidated structures and will spend 1.5 million this year. About 400 structures, mostly vacant houses, were demolished last year.
With fewer vacant buildings to use for illegal activities, crime should decrease, Williams said.
Also, providing economic incentives for companies to locate in Youngstown -- bringing good-paying jobs with them -- is another way to combat crime, he said.
"Economic development helps provide jobs for people who would otherwise commit a crime," Williams said. "But I realize there are some people who are evil, and nothing can be done with them."
Given the choice between a job and being a criminal, there are those who will choose the latter, he said.
Williams said a lack of money is a problem facing the county's criminal justice system. The county's financial instability is the reason for the cuts at the jail, he said.
The county has had trouble passing its two 0.5-percent, five-year sales taxes. On May 8, voters will get a chance to weigh in on a 0.5-percent continuous sales tax.
"A continuous tax would allow the community to operate in a manner that's responsible, permits long-range planning and keeps county functions operating," he said.
Chief's thoughts
Despite the challenges, and knowing that the jail crisis is far from being resolved, Youngstown police officers see the changes as a step in the right direction, Hughes said.
"Not keeping criminals in jail was a miserable thing," he said about the county's inability to properly fund the jail, which led to the early release of criminals and suspects. "It wasn't a morale booster to know people charged would be out of jail before you could finish the paperwork on their arrest."
The inability to house criminals who needed to be incarcerated had a "terrible effect" on the city, Williams said.
"You're already dealing with someone who's not integrated into society the way he should be," he said. "They're out on the street except those that commit the ultimate crimes of rape, murder and felonious assault. Those who commit the quality-of-life crimes should also be incarcerated."
Crime has been a long-standing problem in Youngstown and won't be resolved overnight, Williams said.
"We'll end the year safer than previous years," he said. "It's a long process. If it takes 20 years to resolve 40 years of deterioration, that's not unreasonable. It's not an excuse. It's a fact. ... We won't eradicate crime in Youngstown, but if we reduce it, we'll have accomplished a lot."
skolnick@vindy.com
To read the Ohio Supreme Court's assessment of Mahoning County Common Pleas Court's caseflow management and operation, & lt;a href= & quot;http://www.vindy.com/extra/more/2007-04-27-courts.pdf & quot; target="_blank_window" & gt;click here & lt;/a & gt;.