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| Butler jail gets more jail-like |
| By Enquirer |
| Published: 08/29/2005 |
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The Butler County, Ohio, sheriff pulled the plug on satellite television Tuesday at the county jail. Sheriff Rick Jones - pushing his philosophy that "jail isn't supposed to be a hotel" - limited viewing to seven local channels that can be picked up by rooftop antennae. Inmates weren't given any notice. Jail staff announced the change as the service was cut in each cellblock, Capt. Bill Stump said. "A lot of them were watching ESPN. A lot of them are sports junkies. They weren't happy, but there was not much of a big deal at the time," he said. "I'm sure when sports season really kicks up, when football season really kicks in, there will be a few disgruntled residents here." Since taking office in January, Jones has stripped inmates of what he considers "luxuries." The 17-year veteran of the state prison system created chain gangs in May - the second sheriff in the country to do so - to eliminate idle time. Last month, Jones took regular meal trays away from problem prisoners and began feeding them the "warden burger," which is a concoction of ingredients such as ground turkey, beans, cabbage, potatoes, oatmeal and onions. Until Tuesday, inmates could watch the seven local television channels - 5, 9, 12, 19, 43, 48 and 64 - along with a limited package of satellite channels such as ESPN, CNN and Court TV, Stump said. Access to satellite dated back three years when the new jail was built. Remotes in each cellblock are controlled by corrections officers, but inmates typically decide among themselves what to watch, he said. Jones' latest action actually brings Butler County in line with other jails in the region. Hamilton County allows network TV and one in-house channel with limited programming, such as the History Channel, the Learning Channel and select movies, sheriff's spokesman Steve Barnett said. Joe Weedon, a spokesman for the American Correctional Association, said the majority of jails and prisons in the country allow inmates access to local and educational broadcasts but do not allow them unlimited access to cable. |
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