Sunday, February 28, 2010
Are you aware
The Jessamine County Jail spend $18,000.00 of your tax dollars feeding inmates in local restaurant's last year? Well its true, look at their budget. Looking at more that just the money issue, look at the security problems that this causes, not only for the jail and its employees but for the citizens of Jessamine County. This is just another reason you need an experienced jailer with jail experience running your jail and not just a police officer.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Well it has started
The people are running for Jessamine Count Jailer and listing all the things that they think will make them a good jailer. The one thing that they are not listing is any jail experience. It just makes sence, that with currnet problems that the jail has now we need someone with jail experience to step in and correct the problems.
Saturday, February 20, 2010
My Platform
I have learned that there are a few things that you just can't seem to prevent. One is that people are going to keep coming to jail and the other is that the cost of taking care of these people seems to keep going up.
One thing that Jessamine County needs is a new jail. I don't think anyone can dispute that. I have a plan that I think will help the taxpaying citizens of Jessamine county pay for the new jail when the time comes to build it. I plan on using the inmates that use the jail to offer some relief to the citizens of Jessamine County.
The first question that is going to be asked is how can we afford to build a new jail? One of the things I am proposing is to keep the current jail and use it to house work release, community service, and class D inmates. All three types of inmates generate income for the jail. According to an article published in the Jessamine Journal on 7/18/2008, the current jail and annex hold between 140 and 150 inmates. The income generated from this would go a long way to help defray the cost of building a new jail.
As you may or may not know, there are several class of inmates: work release, class D, community service, and county inmates. I intend to take as many state class D inmates as possible. The reason for doing this is twofold. First, the state pays or helps pay for the cost of incarceration of these inmates. Second, we can use these inmates to help reduce the cost of local work projects. By doing this, the state is helping to reduce the housing cost and the inmates are working and helping keep the county's labor cost down. I can also show you where I can save the county $18,000 a year right now by stopping the practice of feeding inmates in local restaurants as is the current practice. All class D work release and community service inmates will receive a bag lunch provided by the jail when working outside of the jail. The state might not pay the entire cost of their incarceration but between the money the state pays and the community service work these inmates will provide, the county will benefit from this as well as helping to reduce the cost to the tax payers for operating the jail.
Taking in more work release and community services inmates will allow the courts an additional option in sentencing. This will also generate additional income for the county per KRS 439.179 which allows the county jail to charge up to 25% of the gross daily wages, a minimum of $12.00 and a maximum of $40 per day for the cost of their imprisonment.
I plan to start roadside trash pickup crews using community service inmates. This will help keep the city and county roads litter free, making Jessamine County a cleaner place for us all and saving the county and taxpayers money. This road crew will be supervised by the jail deputies.
I would also like to take over the local animal shelter. The work would be performed by jail inmates and supervised by jail deputies. By doing this, I would hope to lower the operation cost of the animal shelter which could lead to lowering the adoption cost of the animals as well as better treatment of the animals. This would result in more animals being adopted and less being euthanized. The more community service class D inmates we take, the more we can use them for county projects like this, saving the county money and having the state help pay for our keeping the class D inmates. Class D inmates can also be used for city/county maintenance, Camp Nelson, and county road crews as well.
According to a study I saw a few years ago, 80% of the people being arrested and coming to jail for the first time who stayed about 2 hours or so but never made it to the housing or custody level of the jail before being released, never returned to jail again. I believe this is something that we need to try and do to help out citizens of all ages.
In addition, I would like to offer the judges and courts an additional option of sending juveniles (or first time offenders) on a tour of the jail. This would allow them a chance to see where they are headed unless they change their ways. This will show them that jail is not a joke nor a game. It will show them how the inmates live, what they eat, and where they use the restroom, shower and sleep. This is by no means a foolproof way of keeping at risk kids out of trouble but it can't hurt. Even if it helps just a few, it's worth the effort and there is no cost to this. Having done this in the past, I can tell you that it can work. There is no physical danger to any juvenile as they will NEVER be in direct contact with any inmate.
I also intend to make the jail more transparent. I plan to write a "Jailer's Corner" column for the newspaper once a month and start a jail website on the internet. This will provide information to the public such as the number of people being booked into the jail as well as the problems arising from caring for the inmates. It will also allow me to highlight an Employee of the Month which will show their effort, service, and experience that they provide to the jail.
As for the county inmates that are not work release or state inmates, I am planning on implementing KRS 441.265 which allows a county jail to charge $50.00 per day per diem for room and board. I intend to charge any inmate that is not a state, work release, or community service inmate a daily fee of $26.00 per day, which is the average fee charged work release inmates. This will help reduce the operating cost of the jail and save the citizens of Jessamine County some money. Any monies not collected from the current incarceration will carry forward to any future incarcerations. Any money placed on the inmate's account will allow the jail to take 50% of that money to apply to the inmate's debt. The balance of the inmate's money can be used by the inmate for canteen and hygiene items. We might not be able to collect all the money, but any money we do collect is money that they county doesn't have to come up with.
One thing that Jessamine County needs is a new jail. I don't think anyone can dispute that. I have a plan that I think will help the taxpaying citizens of Jessamine county pay for the new jail when the time comes to build it. I plan on using the inmates that use the jail to offer some relief to the citizens of Jessamine County.
The first question that is going to be asked is how can we afford to build a new jail? One of the things I am proposing is to keep the current jail and use it to house work release, community service, and class D inmates. All three types of inmates generate income for the jail. According to an article published in the Jessamine Journal on 7/18/2008, the current jail and annex hold between 140 and 150 inmates. The income generated from this would go a long way to help defray the cost of building a new jail.
As you may or may not know, there are several class of inmates: work release, class D, community service, and county inmates. I intend to take as many state class D inmates as possible. The reason for doing this is twofold. First, the state pays or helps pay for the cost of incarceration of these inmates. Second, we can use these inmates to help reduce the cost of local work projects. By doing this, the state is helping to reduce the housing cost and the inmates are working and helping keep the county's labor cost down. I can also show you where I can save the county $18,000 a year right now by stopping the practice of feeding inmates in local restaurants as is the current practice. All class D work release and community service inmates will receive a bag lunch provided by the jail when working outside of the jail. The state might not pay the entire cost of their incarceration but between the money the state pays and the community service work these inmates will provide, the county will benefit from this as well as helping to reduce the cost to the tax payers for operating the jail.
Taking in more work release and community services inmates will allow the courts an additional option in sentencing. This will also generate additional income for the county per KRS 439.179 which allows the county jail to charge up to 25% of the gross daily wages, a minimum of $12.00 and a maximum of $40 per day for the cost of their imprisonment.
I plan to start roadside trash pickup crews using community service inmates. This will help keep the city and county roads litter free, making Jessamine County a cleaner place for us all and saving the county and taxpayers money. This road crew will be supervised by the jail deputies.
I would also like to take over the local animal shelter. The work would be performed by jail inmates and supervised by jail deputies. By doing this, I would hope to lower the operation cost of the animal shelter which could lead to lowering the adoption cost of the animals as well as better treatment of the animals. This would result in more animals being adopted and less being euthanized. The more community service class D inmates we take, the more we can use them for county projects like this, saving the county money and having the state help pay for our keeping the class D inmates. Class D inmates can also be used for city/county maintenance, Camp Nelson, and county road crews as well.
According to a study I saw a few years ago, 80% of the people being arrested and coming to jail for the first time who stayed about 2 hours or so but never made it to the housing or custody level of the jail before being released, never returned to jail again. I believe this is something that we need to try and do to help out citizens of all ages.
In addition, I would like to offer the judges and courts an additional option of sending juveniles (or first time offenders) on a tour of the jail. This would allow them a chance to see where they are headed unless they change their ways. This will show them that jail is not a joke nor a game. It will show them how the inmates live, what they eat, and where they use the restroom, shower and sleep. This is by no means a foolproof way of keeping at risk kids out of trouble but it can't hurt. Even if it helps just a few, it's worth the effort and there is no cost to this. Having done this in the past, I can tell you that it can work. There is no physical danger to any juvenile as they will NEVER be in direct contact with any inmate.
I also intend to make the jail more transparent. I plan to write a "Jailer's Corner" column for the newspaper once a month and start a jail website on the internet. This will provide information to the public such as the number of people being booked into the jail as well as the problems arising from caring for the inmates. It will also allow me to highlight an Employee of the Month which will show their effort, service, and experience that they provide to the jail.
As for the county inmates that are not work release or state inmates, I am planning on implementing KRS 441.265 which allows a county jail to charge $50.00 per day per diem for room and board. I intend to charge any inmate that is not a state, work release, or community service inmate a daily fee of $26.00 per day, which is the average fee charged work release inmates. This will help reduce the operating cost of the jail and save the citizens of Jessamine County some money. Any monies not collected from the current incarceration will carry forward to any future incarcerations. Any money placed on the inmate's account will allow the jail to take 50% of that money to apply to the inmate's debt. The balance of the inmate's money can be used by the inmate for canteen and hygiene items. We might not be able to collect all the money, but any money we do collect is money that they county doesn't have to come up with.
Let Me Introduce Myself
My name is Alan Wells and I am your Republican candidate for the office of Jessamine County Jailer. I am a long time Jessamine County resident, concerned citizen and tax payer. I am a second generation law enforcement officer with over 11 years of experience. I am the father of two children and the grandfather of four of the sweetest grandchildren in the world. I am a third generation member of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
My law enforcement experience consists of one year with the North Carolina Department of Corrections, four years with the Gaston County Sheriff's office where I was assigned to the jail, and I am currently employed at the Fayette County Detention Center, having been there since April of 2003. During the course of my employment in the corrections system, I have been certified in CPR, first aid, work place violence suicide awareness, HIV and blood borne pathogens, weapons qualified, self defense, riot control and gang threats to name a few.
Having been employed in this field for over eleven years, I can tell you that I have done every job there is to do in a jail. I have effectively dealt with all problems arising from intake to release and everything in between. I have over 1100 hours of training covering two different jails and one state prison. I have also owned and operated two successful small businesses so I have several years of experience in dealing with budget and staffing issues.
As a previous small business owner, I am also very aware of the need to get the most out of each and every dollar. I believe that with my unique combination of public and private experience, I would be able to save the county money while still providing the necessary junctions of the county jail.
If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me via email at alanwells2010@hotmail.com or by calling 859.825.8481. I will be happy to talk with you.
Sincerely,
Alan Wells
Republican Candidate for Jessamine Co Jailer
My law enforcement experience consists of one year with the North Carolina Department of Corrections, four years with the Gaston County Sheriff's office where I was assigned to the jail, and I am currently employed at the Fayette County Detention Center, having been there since April of 2003. During the course of my employment in the corrections system, I have been certified in CPR, first aid, work place violence suicide awareness, HIV and blood borne pathogens, weapons qualified, self defense, riot control and gang threats to name a few.
Having been employed in this field for over eleven years, I can tell you that I have done every job there is to do in a jail. I have effectively dealt with all problems arising from intake to release and everything in between. I have over 1100 hours of training covering two different jails and one state prison. I have also owned and operated two successful small businesses so I have several years of experience in dealing with budget and staffing issues.
As a previous small business owner, I am also very aware of the need to get the most out of each and every dollar. I believe that with my unique combination of public and private experience, I would be able to save the county money while still providing the necessary junctions of the county jail.
If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me via email at alanwells2010@hotmail.com or by calling 859.825.8481. I will be happy to talk with you.
Sincerely,
Alan Wells
Republican Candidate for Jessamine Co Jailer
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