Breath of common sense

Breath of common sense

Regarding the decision/ agreement to conduct video arraignments at the former city jail, this is a welcome breath of common sense.

And reading David Skolnick’s front page story in Tuesday’s Vindicator about this achievement brought to my mind the fact that I’d had the privilege of representing a plaintiff in a lawsuit back in the early ’90s asserting that the conditions of the city jail were so substandard that inmates could no longer be safely housed there. My client won his case, and the city jail was closed.

Which brings us to my gratitude at seeing the old fifth floor being put to a new and productive use.

Atty. Jan R. Mostov, Youngstown

Rent the video system to the city

I’m glad the city administra- tion and courts have done a little thinking “outside the box” to resolve the video arraignment issue. Perhaps the sheriff can join in the exercise.

Since it’s clear the sheriff won’t be using the video arraignment system, why doesn’t he simply offer to rent the city the system for $ per year? That would save the city $22,000 and ensure taxpayers continue to receive value for the video equipment they’ve already paid for.

For a little more radical “outside the box” thinking, the sheriff could formally lease the city the space in the County Jail where the video arraignment system is currently installed to be used as a City Jail Annex. One or two city police officers could visit the “City Jail Annex” daily and sheriff’s deputies could bring prisoners to it for arraignment.

This would save a the city the time and fuel costs of transporting the prisoners to the long vacant City Hall jail space. The deputies don’t lose any work they won’t otherwise be losing anyhow, so the jurisdiction issue should go away. (If that continues to be an issue for the deputies, perhaps they should consider how their real employers, the taxpayers, will regard the next request for renewal of a county levy.)

Richard Ostheimer, Youngstown