Tag Archives: Monroe County Jail

We begin this week with a short piece by WFHB reporter Aaron Comforty, who reports on an alleged instance of attempted suicide in the local jail, and one mother’s attempts to find out the status of her son. We also speak with Ted Smith, an Associate Professor of Environmental Medicine at the University of Louisville who tells us about a …

This week, we speak with two writers, Laura Lasuertmer and Wendy Lee Spacek. Spacek and Lasuertmer run a writing workshop in the local jail. They tell us about the writing program, what led them to do this project, and its impact on folks in the inside. Then, we share a selection of writings that came out of some recent sessions …

In today’s segment we brought you news that Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill is trying to block two woman from testifying about allegations of sexual misconduct as he faces a disciplinary hearing on separate claims that he drunkenly grouped 4 women at a bar last year. Monroe County Commissions distributed $58,000 of grant money today, to local agencies working to …

An Indianapolis man was arrested this morning, after allegedly breaking into local musician John Mellencamp’s home. The 48-year old Robert Carter allegedly rammed his SUV through a security gate at Mellencamp’s Lake Monroe residence. He then kicked down the front door, investigators say, at around 6 a.m. The Monroe County Sheriff’s Department said that no one was home at the …

A report finds Blacks in Monroe County are disproportionately affected by the criminal justice system. The report was compiled by the Monroe County chapter of the NAACP and the Unitarian Universalist Church of Bloomington’s Racial Justice Task Force. A press conference and public discussion addressing the report and recommended policy changes will be held at 11 a.m., Wednesday, December 12, …

Indiana Schools will have another opportunity to receive metal detectors; An Indianapolis resident has died from West Nile Virus; On Saturday, the US Navy will commission Indiana’s 4th namesake ship; The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana announced James Sweeney II as the latest addition to Indiana’s federal bench; The City of Bloomington awarded $75,000 to four …

The Monroe County Commissioners approved a one-year collective bargaining agreement with county jail staff yesterday. County Attorney Jeff Cockerill told Commissioners yesterday the agreement could eventually lead to pay increases for jail employees. Cockerill said employee retention is partially driving the salary review. Jail Commander, Sam Crow is not party to the contract, but he voiced his support for it. …

Reported cases of Hepatitis A are on the rise throughout Southern Indiana, including Lawrence county. Monroe County Health Commissioner Penny Caudill said the increase in the reported cases of the fecal-oral disease mimics a wider outbreak across the country. Hepatitis A is caused by ingesting fecal particulates, and can be transmitted between people, or through contaminated food. Caudill said the …

This episode, we start out with a statement from Anastazia Schmid, a prisoner in the Indiana Women’s Prison. She walks us through a brief history of how prisons, and specifically the modern practice of prison slave labor, came about. She also talks through some basics of how prison serves to isolate those on the inside, and the importance of outside …

Inmates incarcerated in Monroe County are being sent to different jails around the state, due to periodic overcrowding at the Monroe County Jail. Now increasing incarceration rates across southern Indiana are beginning to stress the ability for jails to ‘trade’ inmates. WFHB Correspondent Alex Davis speaks with Monroe County Sheriff Brad Swain about the situation in the county jail, in …