By Sharahn D. Boykin
Dayton Daily News
XENIA — The Greene County Sheriff’s Office may reopen a section of the jail this year after receiving an additional $125,000 in funding from county commissioners.
The money is enough to cover three months of staffing costs related to opening one section of the jail that will hold 60 additional inmates, according to Maj. Kirk Keller, the county jail administrator.
“If that is a temporary solution I will accept the temporary solution,” said Fairborn Municipal Court Judge Beth Root. “The bottom line is the commissioners have to decide what their policy is for the citizens of Greene County. Judge (Michael) Murry and I have tried to work with whatever we can to avoid jail cost if we don’t think it’s a necessary cost, but we have reached the limit of what we can do.”
Greene County Sheriff Gene Fischer closed part of the adult detention center in 2009, which resulted in the loss of 120 beds due to budget cuts. Since then, municipal court judges in Fairborn and Xenia have reported the lack of jail beds is a factor when determining whether to give a defendant jail time.
Funding to reopen the closed section of the facility would cost about $1.1 million, according to the sheriff ’s office data.
Greene County has the lowest number of inmate beds, 210, compared to 914 in Montgomery, 290 in Warren and 151 in Miami counties, according to data from the sheriff’s office. The bed to population ratio in Greene County is 1-to-778 compared to 1-to-683 in Miami, 1-to 585 in Montgomery and 1-to-749 in Warren counties.
If the closed section of the facility were reopened, the Greene County jail would be able to accommodate 2,038 more inmates each year, according to Keller.
“I appreciate that the commissioners recognize the challenges that it creates for the judges when we don’t have sufficient jail space,” said Xenia Municipal Court Judge Michael Murry. “I am aware that the $125,000 is probably a short-term solution, but at least it’s a start and I’m willing to go with that … hopefully the funding will be able to continue if the money is there.”
If the section of the jail reopens, it’s unclear how long county commissioners would be able to to fund expenses to keep the additional space open.
“At this particular point and time we’re looking at going into the red next year if we keep all our bills the same as they are this year,” said Greene County Commissioner Bob Glaser. “Next year we will have to look and decide what can and can’t be done, but can’t make a guarantee that we can open it next year or pay for it next year because to keep it open all of next year would take $500,000.”
During a previous meeting related to funding for the jail, Glaser asked local judges if the municipal courts would be willing to contribute funds to reopen the closed sections of the jail. Murry and Root reported this week their courts could not afford to supplement funding for the jail.
Root also noted the idea of courts funding the jail raises ethical concerns.
“The function of operating a jail is not the judicial branch’s responsibility,” Root said. “It’s the executive branch’s responsibility. To have a court financing the jail where they are sending defendants creates a conflict for the judiciary… to me it’s fundamentally unsound to have a court paying for where they’re placing people.”
Before the county can reopen any part of the closed section of the jail, more corrections officers must be hired, Keller said.
About 62 corrections officers are on staff, and four more would be needed to oversee the increased inmate population.
“Until we can get our staff to where it needs to be, that money (to open the closed sections of the jail) will stay in that line item,” Keller said. “I’m still hiring to fill other gaps we have.”