This article is a second part to Tim Evenson’s look at common myths many citizens believe about local jails. Click here for the first half of his thoughtful essay.
By Tim Evenson
Early in my career as jail administrator, someone asked me what I actually do in my job. I paused, thought for a moment, and instead of going into a lot of detail about the complexities of my work, I simply stated, “I’m kind of like the mayor of a dysfunctional town. I have to deal with all the complexities that civilized life brings, but with the understanding that no one is happy about living in this town.”
Jail is a Starting Point
To repeat an idea from last week’s article, jail is perceived as a place for bad people. What I’ve found is that the majority of those in jail are actually decent people who have made bad choices and understand that they must be punished. The people who are truly bad generally end up in prison but, of course, you can’t dismiss the fact that these offenders often spend significant time in a local jail before going to prison.
The reality is that local jails play a key role in the criminal justice system, and without them, the system would not function as we know it in this country. Jails house many different types of people and as I noted earlier, every person that is now in a prison has started their unfortunate journey in the local jail.
A Variety of Offenders
All jails — regardless of size — house violent offenders and non-violent offenders, people with medical needs and severe chemical dependencies, and those who are mentally ill or who are suffering from a short term mental health crisis such as suicidal thoughts. Jail staff must protect these types of people from themselves and others.
Local jails house pre-trial detainees — people who have not yet been convicted of anything but whose alleged crime is so violent or shocking that they must remain in the local jail for the protection of the public. Local jails also hold convicted people who have been sentenced for a set time as determined by the court.
All of these different types of prisoners bring their own set of needs, risks, and challenges that staff must face.
Protecting Inmate Rights
Many times the public perception is that inmates lose their constitutional rights and privileges upon entering jail. Inmates do not lose all their constitutional rights — some may be restricted, but overall they remain intact. This in itself poses a host of challenges because we jail staff must protect an individual’s rights without sacrificing jail security. That is something of which most citizens have absolutely no awareness.
Silent Partner
Jails are often scrutinized because of their high tax burden on local communities. Oftentimes jails are like a silent partner in the community that remains forgotten until something bad happens, such as an inmate suicide or escape. Many times these things happen in jail because of staff errors, but other times they are the result of budget issues and understaffing problems.
Educate Your Communities
I believe that we need to educate local citizens about the role jails have in their community. On several occasions I have spoken to local civic groups about jail operations, and it was amazing to me how receptive most people are to finding out about the local jail. Often they wanted to learn sooner but simply didn’t know who to ask.
We need to set up workshops, give presentations at community functions, and conduct public tours of our local jails to educate people about the challenges and complexities inherent in managing and working in a jail.
Those of us in the corrections profession need to be proactive about educating the public — otherwise the public will continue to educate themselves through television and movies.
Until this educational process happens, the general public will continue to think of jails simply as a place where bad people are watched by glorified babysitters, and the television and movie myths will live on.
Tim Evenson has been with the Vilas County Sheriff’s Department since 1994. In 2002 he was promoted to Jail Administrator and has been in that capacity ever since. He has attended jail administration training from the National Institute of Corrections (NIC) in Colorado and has been very involved in various training and committees throughout the State of Wisconsin. My latest efforts have been as a co-coordinator and instructor for an annual basic jail officer academy, which is held at our department in partnership with Nicolet Area Technical College. We just finished our fourth annual academy last month, and this four week course certifies new corrections officers to work in county corrections in the State of Wisconsin.