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Struthers to downsize city jail
By SARAH Lehr
struthers
The city will downsize its jail because of compliance and financial issues.
Mayor Terry Stocker announced the decision, saying he had the support of city council, during a regular council meeting Wednesday night.
The city will convert its jail, which was first built in 1964, to a temporary holding facility effective June 1. The new facility will be used solely to house inmates for no more than six hours at a time before court appearances on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
Currently, the city jail is licensed through the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction as a 12-day facility, which means it is authorized to hold an inmate for up to 12 days a time.
However, the Struthers jail fails to meet many of the state’s minimum standards for a 12-day facility. The jail also fails to meet many of the state’s standards for a 12-hour facility, which is at the regulatory rung below a 12-day facility.
A six-hour temporary holding facility faces the lowest regulatory burden for a municipal jail, under Ohio standards.
After an inmate hanged himself in the Struthers jail in September 2015, the family of the deceased threatened the city with legal action. Shortly thereafter, the city hired its own attorney through its insurance company.
An internal city investigation determined two police captains had violated protocol the day of the suicide because one captain failed to complete required inmate checks and another incorrectly completed a legally required inmate screening form, which includes questions about mental health.
In March, the city hired consultant Robert Pace to audit the city’s jail for a fee not to exceed $7,000. Pace presented his research this month and advised city leaders to shift to a temporary holding facility in order to reduce costs and liability. Pace also recommended tightening up security in the courtroom and throughout city hall.
The mayor announced Wednesday he would convene a committee to review the transition to a temporary holding facility. That committee will also be tasked with reviewing broader building security.
Stocker said he did not yet have a cost estimate for converting the jail and improving city hall security,
Currently, the city charges convicted inmates $50 per day to stay in the jail. Those inmates request through their defense attorneys to be sentenced to the city rather than county jail, according to the Struthers law director. Last year, the city collected $3,650 from pay-to-stay fees. Stocker said the city will likely halt its pay-to-stay policy because the new facility will be used only before sentencing.