By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
Progress on the $29 million expansion of the Wood County Jail is handcuffed by the nature of the facility – where electric power can never be cut, plumbing must always be functioning, and inmates must be secured.
“It’s very complicated, trying to run a fully functioning jail,” said Capt. Rebecca McMonigal, who is in charge of the jail. To put it nicely, “It is a logistical challenge.”
But however slowly, progress is now being made, seven years after Wood County Sheriff Mark Wasylyshyn first made his pitch for the expansion to the Wood County Commissioners. The work is expected to be completed by September 2024.
The project had been approved by the Wood County Commissioners in early 2020, when COVID hit and the expansion was put on hold since the impact of the pandemic was unknown.
Throughout 2020, the inmate population at Wood County Jail was thinned in an effort to slow the potential impact of COVID-19 at the facility. Within the first couple weeks of Ohio’s pandemic plan being put in place, the jail population went from 165 to 120. As the pandemic went on, the inmate numbers dropped into the 70s.
But those numbers have since rebounded – plus added more.
There are two parts to the expansion – one adding bed space for more female inmates and inmates needing secure cells, and the other providing more space for booking and medical issues.
The expansion will increase safety at the facility for inmates and staff, according to Wasylyshyn.
“I get it. No one wants to spend money on jails. They’d rather spend money on bridges, monuments and buildings,” Wasylyshyn said when going back to the commissioners in 2021.
“If you’re asking me if the need is still there today – absolutely,” he told the commissioners. “I know it’s a lot of money, but it’s the right thing.”
While it may not be a popular use of taxpayer dollars, “The county has been in the jail business since 1820, and that’s not likely to change,” the sheriff said.
The current capacity of the jail is 220 inmates – however that number can be misleading since inmates who require secure cells cannot be housed in the dormitory sections. And females cannot be placed in cells in male areas of the jail.
Also, some inmates need to be kept separated from others if they are members of rival gangs, if they are part of the same case that is going to trial, or if they have a history with other prisoners.
With the expansion, the jail will have a total capacity close to 300, with more minimum, medium and maximum security beds for females and more maximum housing for males.
The average daily inmate population, prior to COVID, was between 165-170. But even at those levels, the jail lacked space for females and secure cells, McMonigal said.
Shortage of secure cells in the jail has resulted in the booking cells being used long-term – sometimes for weeks – for some inmates who need intense observation, Wasylyshyn said.
While the expansion adds housing flexibility, it does not require more jail staff, since master control areas are designed in the housing pods, with line of sight to every inmate area.
The booking area of the jail is also being expanded, doubling the current five holding cells to 10, plus one padded cell. The sallyport for prisoner drop-offs is also being enlarged.
The additional medical space will include four cells – where there are now none – and triple the size of offices for medical exams, doctor and dentist visits. The cells will be used for inmates going through detox for fentanyl and other drugs, during which they should be carefully watched, Wasylyshyn said.
One of the growing demands on the jail comes from inmates with serious mental health problems. Wasylyshyn told of an inmate who was finally transferred to a mental health hospital where he could get treatment – only to have the facility send him back.
“They said, ‘this person is too violent. Come take him back,’” Wasylyshyn said. “We’re not set up for serious mental health situations.”
The jail is offering more programs for inmates, such as Alcoholics Anonymous and anger management classes.
“There’s such a long wait to get into programs in the outside world,” but the jail can provide them with fewer delays, the sheriff said.
Changes in sentencing laws in Ohio have also contributed to increased jail populations, Wasylyshyn said. Common pleas court judges used to be able to sentence anyone convicted of a felony to prison. However, those convicted of level 3, 4 or 5 felonies may no longer be sentenced to prison.
“Guess where those people go? They go here,” he said, adding that those inmates usually have longer sentences.
Wasylyshyn emphasized the need for the jail to meet standards.
“Ninety-nine percent of inmates are good people who made bad decisions,” he said.
And an estimated half of the inmates on any given day at Wood County Jail have not been sentenced and are still awaiting trial, McMonigal said.
Wood County’s jail is the only in Ohio to consistently score 100% in the annual inspections by the Bureau of Adult Detention, the sheriff said.
“Many counties can’t pass any inspections,” he said. “We’re very proud of our jail.”
