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According to a recently completed study of incarceration and the local criminal justice system, Monroe County has uncovered a number of “critical issues” that “require urgent attention and remediation.”
Initiated in 2019, the “cornerstone-purpose of this study was twofold: 1) gain a clearer understanding of jail conditions and court related practices, and 2) obtain recommendations for improving incarceration and court- related practices that would improve their effectiveness on behalf of the community if implemented.”
The findings of the study, consolidated into a single report, lead researchers to suggest that “The jail must be replaced with a facility that is designed prescriptively for sustainable cost-effectiveness, improved safety and security, and to accommodate the implementation of an array of best practices that improve inmate care and custody and reduce recidivism.”
In a special joint meeting this past Wednesday the board of county commissioners and the county council heard from experts Eve Hill and Dr. Kenneth Ray, both of whom were involved in the study and able to share their findings with the audience. Board of commissioners President Julie Thomas prefaced the guest speakers by briefly sharing the context that led this study to be conducted.
“Just a brief introduction about this report, and when we say report there is a written report available on our homepage co.monroe.in.us … in 2019 Monroe County engaged with a group of expert consultants in order to help us review every part of our county’s criminal justice system. The county commissioners, county council, prosecuting attorney, the sheriff, the board of judges, we all made a commitment to reform and review Monroe County’s criminal justice system. The justice system includes any public employee, from a public agency that engages with a person and that could be anything from an interaction by law enforcement, and if convicted through the end of probation, and everything in between.
The consultants gathered data on corrections and the criminal justice system, our local social service agencies, and incorporated input from four community conversations that were held in the summer of 2019. Community justice mediation provided the framework for some of those very interesting conversations that we had and, of course, COVID provided us with a bit of a delay in getting this report completed. Those conversations with community members also informed our study…
And so tonight we have the opportunity to hear from Ms. Hill and Dr. Ray; they are going to explain what was learned in the study of Monroe County’s justice system as well as the county’s strengths and gaps analysis. This is a community meeting, so the public will have the opportunity to ask our consultants questions and to offer comments. We are all here to listen and learn.”
The meeting was organized to allow for a presentation of the study from Hill and Dr. Ray, with the following time set aside for questions and comments from community members in attendance. Hill and Dr. Ray, speaking first and second respectively, broke down their findings and explained how the data justified the recommendations contained within the reports.
“Our task was to look at what is leading people with mental illness and substance use disorders into jail in the first place and back into jail after initial incarcerations, and to explore opportunities for intervention other than arrest or detention for people with mental illness and substance abuse disorders. So we are looking at avoidance, detention, and avoiding recidivism. Importantly, our recommendations apply whether or not a new jail is built. These improvements will help Monroe County avoid simply refilling any new facility. They will also help Monroe County use its funds wisely to maximize state and federal contributions…”
“When we started this project, the issue on the table was an existing settlement agreement with the ACLU over conditions of confinement. The settlement agreement is litigation related to the conditions of confinement at the jail under federal civil rights laws… As we looked at the project, we realized that we were going to need an enormous amount of data to understand the jail’s history of incarceration… to get more clarity on the conditions that triggered that lawsuit and what would need to be done to ultimately resolve that agreement…
What I want to do is just walk through the high points, because there is so much data and there were so many findings that helped us understand where the jail came from, where it is, and where it’s headed, in part if the issues addressed by Eve are not adequately resolved…”
After hearing from the two experts the floor was then opened for response from county council and board members. Considering the magnitude of the recommended overhaul to the Monroe County criminal justice system, initial reactions from local officials were generally receptive with many focused on determining the best course of action moving forward.
Among those to share their thoughts was county council member Geoff McKim, Monroe County Judge Mary Ellen Diekhoff, and council President Eric Spoonmore.
“I want to go back to the previous topic, which is next steps and how we move this forward. I am very, and I think my colleagues are also very committed to implementing the recommendations of these studies, and in particular doing what we can to drive the population of the jail down… I just want to delve deeper into how we actually take the next steps to make sure that none of these recommendations get lost and this doesn’t become one of those many reports that we’re good at generating and putting on a shelf but never implementing…”
“We do the best we can… we watch the time limits, we watch who is there… Are we frustrated? Yes. Can we do better? Yes… I see us going forward having this common goal and continuing to work together. And we are committed to doing that as well.”
“I just want to say that I’m really encouraged with the discussion that we’ve had here this evening and really appreciate hearing all the willingness to collaborate on this… we’ve got a real opportunity to make some transformative change in Monroe County… we’ve got a lot of stakeholders in this meeting, perhaps the most important stakeholder is the public and it is going to be very, very important that we continue to engage the public every step of the way in this process…”
All members of the board and county council made assurances that any future decisions made regarding changes to the criminal justice system would be done so publicly and with the consideration of many perspectives within Monroe County.
Those interested in staying updated on the undertaking can find more information online and are encouraged to attend the next meeting on July 7th.
