Edgar County Jail Liability Review: Policy, Strip Searches, Use of Force, Training, Jail Conditions

Paris, IL. (ECWd) –

When the pending Edgar County jail closure was announced, we reported it (here).

Since that article, the County has been searching for a different insurance company that is willing to insure all or part of the jail, or in the alternative, they are searching for a place to house the county’s inmates.

There are only 8 weeks left for a decision and the jail will close.

But there is more to the story on the insurance company’s decision to not insure the jail and operations within the building;

There were 9 conditions identified (read the documents below or click here) by a jail inspector.

Here is what was found/recommended:

• Complete re-write of policy – training on the new policy, and all jail practices must model the policy (meaning – work according to the written policy, otherwise they effectively is no policy)
• Avoid strip searches for minor crimes/traffic offenses
• Personnel who dispense medication should be trained to do so, and all medications should be vetted by medical personnel. There should be an on-call doctor to consult with on these issues and others.
• A mental health professional should be contracted with for regular periodical rounds of the jail and to consult with suicidal subjects
• An officer assigned as PREA coordinator to make sure inmates are informed of their rights under PREA, which reduces liability in cases of alleged sexual misconduct within the jail (remember this?)
• Use of Force should be immediately documents, reviewed, and a determination made of whether it was warranted or not, in writing
• Training must be consistent and conducted on a regular basis. All officers should be certified correctional officers with appropriate training, including part-time officers
• Internal Affairs – discipline investigations should not be conducted by the Sheriff because there would be no supervisor to review the findings
• Jail conditions – it is old and in need of upgrades. It was dirty and had trash and liquid on the ground

.