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| County jail inmates get taste of prison |
| By News Journal |
| Published: 01/17/2005 |
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The Richland County, Ohio, Jail never looked so good to Mike Bertoch. After spending eight days at Marion Correctional Institute, the Mansfield man couldn't wait to get back to the cozy confines at 55 E. Second St. "Out of the eight days, I had two showers. It took five days to get my first one," Bertoch said. "It took three days to get toothpaste and soap." Bertoch, 39, and the rest of the inmates at the jail were evacuated when last week's ice storm knocked out power. They returned Thursday. In addition to Marion, inmates were transferred to Mansfield Correctional Institute, Richland Correctional Institute and the Ashland County Jail. Some, like Bertoch, had never before been to prison. "We went to a hole," Bertoch said. "It was that small. You almost had to walk sideways past the bunks and toilet to get to the door." County jail administrator Ed Welsh said the inmates were kept in isolation. "They never mixed with the general population; that's by state law," Welsh explained. "They have to keep them totally separated in a state institution." The inmates who went to Marion didn't have TV privileges or access to pencil and paper. They spent most of their time in their cells. "In eight days, I was out of my cell about 20 minutes, including the showers," Bertoch said. County jail inmates have easy access to showers and can watch TV between 6 a.m. and 11:45 p.m., Welsh said. Dion Cornelius, 18, also had never been inside a prison. "That's something I don't never want to have to go through again," the Mansfield teen said. |
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