Friday afternoon, Sept. 3, Jones tweeted this message through his Twitter account: “Both jails are almost at capacity going into holiday weekend, may have to put prisoners on the floor.”
Actually, some prisoners have been sleeping on modified cots — known as “boats”— in a common area of the jail pods because of overcrowding. “And we don’t know what this Labor Day weekend will bring,” Jones said. “It has been a while since we have been this crowded and we have less staff.”
The two facilities can hold just under 1,100, using every inch of space, according to Chief Deputy Anthony Dwyer. Friday morning, the official head count was 1,031. An additional 20 prisoners would have some again sleeping in the “boats.”
“It’s not a good situation. Assaults between prisoners have increased,” Jones said.
He said officers have been doing their part, writing citations in lieu of arrests when possible for nonviolent misdemeanor offenses.
Common Pleas Judge Michael Sage, the county’s administrative judge, said judges and the prosecutor’s office are working to speed the flow of paperwork to get sentenced prisoners out of the jail and off to prison sooner.
“We understand jail crowding is somewhat cyclical with peaks and valleys, one of those peaks is at the end of the summer when warm weather has increased crime,” Sage said.
He said in most cases, if it is appropriate, judges will refer defendants to the pretrial services program for release while awaiting trial.
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