Vance County Sheriff Peter White and Jail Administrator Duane Townes reported to the Vance County Board of Commissions last night on a plan of corrective action developed to answer a failed inspection by the state.
Because of the length of the state’s inspection report, it has been divided into four parts of five pages each. It may be viewed by clicking on the following links: Part I, Part II, Part III, and Part IV.
A copy of the plan of corrective action was not made available to the media. A request was made via email on Tuesday night to County Clerk Kelly Grissom for a copy of the document before publication time.
Beginning his presentation to the Commission, White informed the Board that the jail was facing a series of issues pointed out by the chief state jail inspector.
White stressed that it was the chief jail inspector making the report.
The Vance County Sheriff said that the state had told the Sheriff’s Office what to correct. He said that he needed to come before the Commission to point those items out along with the “cost factors” and hope that [the Commission] comes up with the funds.
White noted that some problems indicated in the state’s report had passed during previous inspections.
The sheriff also reported that he was still gathering estimates and that his goal was to have three estimates for each item requiring funding.
“It’s going to cost,” White said without offering a specific estimate.
A report on costs for major repair issues, such as a well-lighted exterior perimeter (page 11 of state report), ceilings, windows and observation panels (page 12 of state report), doors, floor drains (page 13 of state report), adequate kitchen (page 14 of state report), and adequate cooling, ventilation, and various plumbing issues (page 16 of report) will presumably be discussed at the next meeting of the Commission.
Stating that the problems at the jail “did not happen yesterday,” White said that he was not responsible for what had happened before he took office.
When asked about specific completion dates for corrective actions, White informed the Board that there was no set time for the completion of “major items”. He said that a “good faith effort” was needed.
Vance County Board of Commissioners Chair Deborah Brown then began questioning Townes on specific items regarding his plan of corrective action.
After her first question, it was determined that an inspection had been made by the City of Henderson fire marshal to correct a problem on page 5 of the inspection report that cites the jail for not making a written request for the inspection.
Brown also asked about the color-coding of keys, an item which the state cited on page 5 of its report. White explained that the “colored tabs” on locks had been painted over. Townes reported that the item had been completed.
The Board chair then asked about an item on page 7 of the state’s report that noted the jail out of compliance with its mattresses and bedding, specifically that the jail’s mattresses had “holes” and “cracks”. Townes responded that the mattresses had been repaired by a local company.
Also on page 7 of the report it was observed by the state that the last registered dietician’s review was over a year old. When Brown inquired about that item, Townes responded that he was awaiting an update and that it had not yet been submitted.
Brown asked about the status of the medical plan with which the jail was found to be out of compliance with the state. Townes reported he “cannot locate the current one”. He said that a medical plan would be re-submitted to the Commission.
Brown asked if an item on page 16 of the state’s report citing the jail for “inadequate commodes” would require money. Townes responded in the affirmative.
County Commissioner Dan Brummitt asked if the jail has plumbing, camera, and security issues. In response, White said that there is already a budget to replace cameras and route power to some pre-existing cameras for which there is no current power source.
County Commissioner Terry Garrison told White and Townes that he understood their responsibilities. He said that while it was frustrating to hear about “break outs”, that “these are doable problems”.
White noted a need to turn to companies that specialize in jails. He said that he uses local people “whenever we can”.
When Finance Officer Jerry Tucker asked while the locks in the jail do not last, White responded that there is a need to hire a company that specializes in jail locks. County Manager Jerry Ayscue noted that lock breakage is an “ongoing issue” suffered by many counties.
In the end, Commissioner Danny Wright characterized the anticipated expenses of fixing the jail as “small compared to a lawsuit”.
Commissioner Eddie Wright praised Townes as “highly professional”. He then asked how medical problems are handled.
White responded that there is a contract doctor, a part-time nurse, and an EMT II.
Eddie Wright responded that the jail might benefit from a full-time doctor. White said that it was being looked into.