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| Bamberg jail had 42 violations last year |
| By thetandd.com |
| Published: 03/28/2011 |
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Changes are being made at the Bamberg County Detention Center to bring the facility in line with state correctional standards, reports Joe Glover, director of the jail. The S.C. Department of Corrections conducts annual inspections of every detention facility. Reports for the 17-year-old jail listed violations of 39 standards in March 2009 and 42 in March 2010. Glover, who succeeded former BCDC Director Gary Brown in September 2010, said he and his staff have been busy preparing for the coming 2011 inspection. He said he has considered everything about the facility "with open eyes." "If I had to make one area of improvement, it would be training," Glover said. "You want to have your staff trained to the best of their ability. "Over the last seven months, we have been in touch with other facilities and outside agencies that can help us provide training. We will be catching up on a lot of stuff we have to have to improve ourselves." All but two violations listed in the 2009 inspection report were repeated in 2010. The majority dealt with operational policies and procedures that hadn't been updated, inmate and potential security issues. This week, Glover will attend the South Carolina Jail Administrators Association's annual conference in Myrtle Beach to gain more input on how to best meet state standards. He pointed out the policy and procedures manual is being updated. "We want to see if it is up to par with the state and other agencies," Glover said. "We will implement what we can but it will still take time. "More state input is greatly appreciated. That provides us with a measuring stick on how we can continue to improve." The state DOC inspector indicated there wasn't enough staff to provide 24-hour supervision and processing of inmates. The report noted there needs to be a staffing analysis by a qualified external party to determine staffing needs. County officials want to upgrade technology in the detention center by purchasing more cameras and security systems. Although "we are looking under every rock" to find funding, Bamberg County Administrator Rose Dobson-Elliott said budget constraints continue to dictate what can be done. "There is not anything terribly wrong (at BCDC)," Dobson-Elliott said. "Staffing is the big issue. "More eyes helps make it more secure for both the inmates and staff. "We are in a constant state of recruitment for officers, and it's real hard to get qualified people. If they have charges on their record, then they can't go to the (S.C. Criminal Justice) Academy." The BCDC was cited for several maintenance and repair issues, such as cells without access to basins with hot and cold water, mold in the showers and "multiple" plumbing issues. Last renovated in 2002, the facility's maintenance remains a "constant battle," Dobson-Elliott said. "The inmates have 24/7 to contemplate how to get around what we do. That's what we run into," she said. "They even cut into the mortar between the concrete blocks." "When the jail was built, we got the most bang for our buck but the county didn't have the money to do all it wanted to do," she added. Several inspection violations involved the lack of documentation regarding review or approval by a medical authority of facility health care services. Read More. |
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