photo by: Mike Yoder

Douglas County Jail

Overcrowding is giving inmates less time to take advantage of the already limited exercise opportunities at the Douglas County Jail, Undersheriff Gary Bunting says.

The number of inmates in all classifications of male maximum-, medium- and minimum-security continues to exceed cells available at the jail, Bunting said. That is true of women inmates, too, who are housed in a single classification pod. It’s the issue that led to the county including a $44 million jail expansion on Proposition 1, which voters rejected in May.

The overcrowding forces the sheriff’s office to constantly farm out 60 or more inmates to the jails of other counties, and to mix male classifications at the jail by placing those deemed to be safer maximum-security inmates in medium-security pods, and medium-security inmates in minimum-security pods, Bunting said.

Although all inmates get a minimum of one hour a day in the commons areas of their pods, the more manageable inmate classifications are given more privileges, such as time out of their cells. However, the need to place higher security inmates in lower security level pods cuts down on commons area time because the sheriff’s office limits the interactions of inmates with different levels of security classifications, Bunting said.

While in the commons areas under the direct supervision of correctional officers, inmates are able to interact, play cards or other games and walk freely in that larger joint space, Bunting said. They also have access to enclosed outdoor areas. Cutting down on that commons area time and the opportunities it affords to reduce stress is one way overcrowding decreases safety at the jail, the undersheriff said.

However, there are no exercise facilities or equipment available for inmates to further manage stress, Bunting said. Those wanting exercise do situps, pushups or other calisthenics, he said.

The jail did have basketball goals in the outdoor areas but took them down more than two years ago because inmates kept playing competitively, in violation of jail rules, Bunting said. The competitive contests led to fights and injuries, which in some cases required taxpayers to pay for surgeries and physical therapy, he said.

The proposed 2019 county budget the Douglas County Commission will consider for adoption on Aug. 8 sets aside $3 million for solutions to jail overcrowding. Douglas County Administrator Craig Weinaug has stated that those specific solutions have not yet been identified but could include jail additions and programming designed to reduce inmate populations.

Bunting said the sheriff’s office officials have been focused on the day-to-day challenge of running the overcrowded jail since Proposition 1 was defeated, and they have not discussed what solutions they might propose.

Douglas County Commission Chair Nancy Thellman said last week she hoped to start the discussion on jail overcrowding solutions when commissioners wrap up their current consideration of scheduling a ballot question for the November general election to fund a behavioral health campus and programming. Commissioners have set an Aug. 22 deadline to complete official ballot language for that referendum.