MANSFIELD — The Richland County Jail will undergo a policies and procedures audit through the Legal and Liability Management Institute, a $28,000 analysis county commissioners approved Tuesday.
The company, based in Indiana, will spend about two weeks looking at operations in the 266-bed jail that opened in 2008, with a particular focus on intake and medical services, according to Capt. Chris Blunk, the jail administrator.
“They will review all of our policies and procedures,” Blunk told commissioners. “They will also interview inmates, corrections officers, supervisors and administrators. They will then develop a comprehensive report on what they find.”
He said the company looks at court decisions, as well as policies and procedures used by the American Jail Association and the Department of Justice to help determine “best practices” for county jails.
Improving medical services at the jail have been a frequent topic for discussion at county commissioner meetings. Earlier this year, two inmates at the jail died after medical emergencies.
The cost of providing enhanced medical services, especially during the intake process, has been an issue.
In March, commissioners approved a one-year, $700,590 contract with Southern Health Partners that maintains services at largely the same level as available under Advanced Correctional Healthcare, which had been the provider for the last several years.
In January, Sheriff Steve Sheldon and Blunk said they had hoped to sign a contract that would provide “enhanced option” in the department’s next jail medical services contract, including the addition of a second Licensed Practical Nurse at the jail 24/7 (including holidays) and a “very comprehensive (drug/alcohol) treatment program” for inmates.
However, once proposals were received from potential providers, those enhancements carried price tags of between $1.1 and $1.8 million annually, Blunk said in March.
Blunk said the RCSO last week submitted another new grant application seeking funds from the Ohio Attorney General’s office that seeks to improve outcomes for substance-addicted inmates in the state’s jails.
Blunk said Tuesday the jail recently completed its state audit, but said LLMI would provide the first “outside” audit he has seen during his 26 years working with the RCSO.
“It’s really going to focus on intake, all three shifts, but especially the intake of inmates and those inmates with medical considerations is really the focus,” Blunk said.
“I am always looking for ways to get better at what we do. Medical issues have arose in the jail and I will strive to get the best services we can at the jail.”
