Thursday, December 24, 2009
Inmates must be removed from the courtroom immediately after their cases are heard.
YOUNGSTOWN — The three judges of Youngstown Municipal Court have signed an order designed to improve security in their court.
“Anyone in court, who is arrested or sentenced to jail, shall be immediately placed in custody of a law enforcement officer, and must be cuffed at the wrists and ankles” before being taken from the courtroom, according to a new provision announced in the order.
The order also said jail inmates must be removed from the courtroom immediately after their cases are heard and escorted to the elevator. If court staff must interview an inmate, the interview must be done in the inmate-holding area under police supervision, the journal entry says.
The journal entry spelling out security arrangements, which was filed Friday, was signed by Judge Elizabeth A. Kobly, administrative and presiding judge, and by Judges Robert A. Douglas Jr. and Robert P. Milich.
For the most part, “It reflects and confirms the security measures that the court has had in place over the years. It’s just trying to get everybody on the same page,” said George Denney, court administrator. “It’s designed to enhance security in a building that is inferior,” he added.
“Attending law enforcement must keep prisoners away from the public and court staff and maintain a position between prisoners and the public,” the order says.
Inmates must be attired in orange jumpsuits with belly chains unless a judge orders otherwise, and law enforcement must always accompany an inmate and never leave an unaccompanied inmate in a courtroom, the judges ruled.
“On a daily basis, we and everybody in our courtrooms are subject to security breaches and risks for our own personal safety,” Judge Kobly said, explaining why the judges believed the order was necessary.
“We want to make sure that there is no interaction,” between inmates and the public, said city Police Chief Jimmy Hughes. “We want to make sure that the prisoners are taken in and out of court, and there’s no opportunity for them to escape, no opportunity for them to retaliate or jump on someone,” he added.
“They are, at times, accused of some very serious crimes, so we want to make sure that everybody’s protected here,” the chief said. Security precautions must prevent inmates from intimidating victims and witnesses, or victims and witnesses from threatening inmates, he explained. “It goes both ways,” he said.
Hughes said the judges’ order is reasonable and that he intends to follow it.
In their quest for new court facilities, the municipal judges have sued the city administration, and the case is being mediated at the Ohio Supreme Court.
The judges have recommended that a new 30,000-square-foot court be built in the City Hall Annex for $8 million.
In a recent interview, Judge Milich said the existing 15,000-square-foot court at city hall is overcrowded and not conducive to proper court security.
Mayor Jay Williams has acknowledged the inadequacy of the current court facility but said the city can’t afford $8 million for a new location.