Douglas County officials to tour Johnson County facilities for ideas on how to reduce overcrowding at jail

photo by: Elvyn Jones/Journal-World File Photo

This photo from July 11, 2018, shows, from left, Douglas County Commissioners Michelle Derusseau, Nancy Thellman and Mike Gaughan.

After a Wednesday meeting with a short agenda, Douglas County commissioners will reconvene Friday to tour two Johnson County facilities to examine options for reducing overcrowding in the Douglas County Jail.

Douglas County Administrator Craig Weinaug said two or more commissioners would be among county officials and Criminal Justice Coordinating Council members taking part in a Friday tour of the Johnson County Community Corrections facilities. The presence of two commissioners establishes a quorum and makes the tour open to the public. The tour starts at 9 a.m. at 141 Mission Parkway in the New Century AirCenter east of Gardner.

Robert Bieniecki, the county criminal justice coordinator, said the group would tour a Johnson County Community Corrections therapeutic unit and a work-release residential center.

Commissioners received a presentation in April 2017 on the therapeutic unit from Betsy Gillespie, former director of Johnson County Community Corrections. The 50-bed unit is a last-chance, six-month treatment program for substance abusers facing lengthy prison terms, she said. Those who complete the program have an 8.6 percent recidivism rate, she said.

Bieniecki, who was a captain in the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office before taking his current Douglas County position, said the residential facility offered a work-release program that provided inmates daily commutes to and from work. It was initially for DUI offenders but is now available for those with domestic violence and other low-level convictions, he said.

Commissioner Nancy Thellman said the tour has been on the commission’s to-do list for some time. She said her goal was to learn of possible new options to reduce overcrowding at the Douglas County Jail.

“We have said we are open to considering anything that reduces our jail population,” she said. “It all comes down to cost and whether a program is a good fit for Douglas County.”

Thellman and Commissioner Michelle Derusseau, who will also go on the tour, said some programs that work in a county as large as Johnson County might not be viable in Douglas County.

“We might have to make adjustments to make them work here,” Derusseau said. “I will be there to learn and see what options might be available to reduce our jail population.”

Mike Gaughan, the other county commissioner, did not immediately indicate Tuesday whether he would be joining the tour.

The commission’s short Wednesday agenda will include consideration of a resident’s request for property tax relief on a residence at 1209 Lawrence Ave., which was destroyed in a Nov. 29, 2017, fire.

Commissioners will also meet in executive session Wednesday with county counselor John Bullock on an undisclosed matter.

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