Week 2 - Jail - JCSO Citizen's Academy

Week 2 included an introduction to and tour of the jail (Adult Detention Center)

Class started with the Mission Statement:

The Johnson County Adult Detention Centers were designed and constructed to provide citizens of Johnson County with safe and secure facilities that either meet or exceed the standards articulated by local, state, federal, and professional agencies.

These facilities, under the direction of the Sheriff, will ensure the safety of the inmate, correctional staff, deputies and the community by providing professional training and a proper work environment for the correctional staff and deputies by utilizing the most current techniques available in the field of corrections.

By availing ourselves of community resources, by careful and progressive planning, coupled with the use of inmate management techniques, these detention centers will operate in the most cost-effective manner possible.

Deputies reiterated what Sheriff Frank Denning emphasized the first night of class, that JCSO wants to be the leader in the industry and expects the best from their deputies because the citizen's of Johnson County deserve the best.  I don't remember all the deputies names from class but Deputy Mitchell and his counterparts are proud of their jail.  You could see their enthusiasm as they spoke and toured us through the jail.  They take pride in providing the safest environment possible for those unlucky enough to be spending time in their jail.  Deputy Mitchell was named Deputy of the Year in 2011 and was very proud of it!  The average tenure of deputies in Detention is 9 years.  Many deputies spend their entire career in Detention by choice rather than go in to patrol or other divisions.

The first jail in Kansas opened in Gum Springs (now Shawnee).  As Johnson County grew it was determined Olathe would be a better location for the jail.  That facility is now under renovation and once complete will be the central booking location.  Currently 20 municipalities transport detainees to JCSO at the New Century location which can house 816 total.  JCSO has seen a 7.4% increase in arrests over the past decade necessitating the need for more bed space and the subsequent renovation at both the Olathe location and New Century location.

JCSO books nearly 17,000 people in to their jails annually. The average daily intake of arrestees is 45. The average daily count of inmates is 625 with approximately 100 of those women. The average length of stay is 16-18 days. JCSO has a classification system which includes: Minimum Security - Medium Security - Maximum Security - Segregation (usually those that can't follow rules) - Special Needs - Medical - Female - Pre-classification.

JCSO operates a Direct Supervision Open Modular system.  Principles of Direct Supervision include:  Direction - Consistency - Consequences.  Deputies work in the jail rather than Corrections Officers (as seen in many city jail systems).  Deputies have only their hands, OC spray and a Tazer (if certified) to use to diffuse combative situations.  Despite this, deputies state they feel very safe in the jail. Because of the open module system help is only seconds away.  Civilians can work in administration, property or classification but not in direct contact with inmates. 

Deputies are also responsible for transporting inmates to court appearances, medical appointments and warrants. 3770 transports occurred in 2011.

Deputies demonstrated how to restrain a combative inmate.  One class attendee volunteered to be handcuffed.  Another volunteered to be restrained in a restrain chair.  You won't see me volunteering for either!

Class concluded with a tour of the jail including Booking, Command Center and areas overlooking the Pre-classification Module, Minimum Security Module and Medium Security Module as well as other areas like Visiting and the Library.  I was surprised by how quiet the jail seemed.  JCSO is known to be state of the art and their jail lives up to that reputation.

I have never involuntarily walked in to the Adult Detention Center and as nice as it may seem (for a jail), I can profoundly say "It's better to be a visitor than a guest!"  Thanks for the tour JCSO!