Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones, who came to the county from Lebanon Correctional Institution, was quick to put prisoners to work inside and outside the jail when he took office, mirroring Ohio’s prison system.
Butler Count jail prisoners bag trash, work in the jail kitchen, laundry and commissary, clean the facility (including sweeping the sheriff’s office), mow the lawn and work at special events clean up.
“These are jobs, for the most part, that other people wouldn’t want,” Jones said. “It’s better for my officers that prisoners work. If they’re tired from working they are not trying to hurt my officers. It is also better for them. We try to teach them some work ethic.”
From 2008 to 2010, Butler County Jail inmates, who are designated trusties, worked an average of 189,553 hours for an average savings of $1,276,898 based on minimum wage, according to Jones.
Work is on a volunteer basis. Jones said if an inmate wants to lie in a cell bed all day, “I can’t make him work.”
“But in jail work is a privilege. It gets awful boring just sitting around,” Jones said.
The cost to the department is for supervision only, Jones said. Corrections officers and staff on site monitor inmate workers inside the jail facility and outside a part time officer, at a rate of about $14 an hour, serves as law care supervisor.
A full time corrections officer, Mike Gipson, is assigned to supervise inmates who work daily on township roads picking up litter tossed out of car windows.
The county’s solid waste district helps underwrite Gipson’s salary for the litter eradication operation, according to Anne Fiehrer-Flaig, district coordinator.
Litter gathering averages for the operation are about seven bags per mile with a average total of about one ton of garbage a month, according to sheriff’s office calculations.
The sheriff said on some roadways, inmates have collected as many as 20 bags per mile with Ohio 129 being one of the most littered.
Inmates who work outside the facility are non-violent offenders with no history of discipline problems. They follow the rules or they are “fired,” said Sgt. Nick Fisher, jail warden.
In February, amidst more cutbacks and layoffs, the sheriff’s office ventured into a more unique assignment for a female trusty. She is now helping answer a barrage of calls in the jail for information about inmates.
The trusty is able to view public information online and assist callers, leaving corrections officers to more important tasks, such as booking inmates.
“It has worked well,” Fisher said, noting the trusty position received the blessing the corrections officers union and did not replace a paid worker.
“We are not taking jobs away from people,” Fisher said.
Outside trusties work daily as weather permits. They are not on the job if temperatures are below 32 degrees or the heat index hits 100 degrees. An exception might be shoveling snow in the winter, Jones said.
Trusties receive incentives for their work, including an eight minute phone card and 10 to 20 coffee packets weekly, depending on their job. Inmates have access to hot water, but powdered coffee packets must be purchased at the commissary.
They also get “good days” that could mean an early release from jail. Fisher explained that halfway through a trusty’s sentence, if they have been a good worker, a letter is sent to the sentencing judge who can then consider letting the inmate out early.
“We give them the information, it is still up to the judge if days are shaved off the sentence.” Fisher said.
Inmate labor is also utilized by the sheriff’s office in the form of a chain gang, who are as the name represents, chained together.
Chain gang inmates are not trusties, they are mid-level offenders who volunteer just to get out of the building, accroding to Fisher.
“We try to utilize the chain gang once a week, when staffing allows,” he said. Special deputies, who are volunteer, supervise the chain gang.
Warren County Jail runs a similar trusty work program with inmates working in the kitchen, laundry and maintenance both inside and outside the facility that was recently expanded to house 280 inmates.
Outside, inmates are supervised by county building services workers and do various jobs, from painting to basic landscaping to even some bunk installation at the jail, according to Maj. Brian Tinch, Warren County jail administrator.
“They do work hard,” Tinch said, noting trusties in his facility are also low level, non-violent offenders.
Warren County Jail trusties are also given incentives, including “good days” credit toward a shortened sentence, a favorite meal or treat at no cost and the outside workers are permitted to smoke.
“That is an incentive,” Tinch said. He noted the jail does not provide the tobacco, that is done by a family or friend of the inmate, and distribution is taken care of by supervisors.
Tinch said he sees the program as a win-win.
“They do good work for a few rewards and no cost,” he said.
Last year, Warren County Jail trusties logged 72,272 hours of work for the county.
The Middletown City Jail utilizes trusties within its facility that houses up to 72 in the kitchen, laundry and cleaning. But after two inmates walked away from a work program at Goldman Park in April 2010, outside jobs stopped.
At the time, the city was using an unarmed civilian to supervise trusties outside the building. It was determined after the escape that an officer was needed for more security.
But with officers stretched thin just to patrol and investigate, there isn’t an officer to spare for trusty supervision, said Maj. Rodney Muterspaw.
“Because of manpower, outside jobs have dwindled,” said Sgt. Ric Bowling.
There are exceptions, such as last week’s United States police canine competition at Middletown High School. Trusties helped with set up, Muterpaw said, noting it wasn’t much of a security risk with the number of officers and police dogs already on site. Also organizers of some events held in city parks can budget to pay for an officer to supervise trusties for set up or clean up. The tab is about $42 an hour.
Jones said he does not know a more cost efficient way to run his jail and save taxpayers money.
“It’s free. It is pretty hard to be more cost effective,” Jones said.
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