THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, July 24, 1994 TAG: 9407220239
SECTION: SUFFOLK SUN PAGE: 06 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: Medium: 58 lines
Some statements in your July 17 editorial, ``Lesson in justice,'' present a false impression concerning inmate programs of the Western Tidewater Regional Jail and could cause your readers to make incorrect assumptions that inmates sit around in cells taking life easy.
Inmates awake at 5:30 a.m., eat the morning meal at 6, get cleaning gear at 7, and undergo a daily individual cell and area inspection at 9, followed by their daily program schedule.
After 9 a.m., inmates are not permitted to get into their bunk until 9 p.m.
Concerning the 430 total inmate population, the following programs involve the approximate listed number of inmates daily, and, because of these commitments, are usually unavailable for outside work assignments: Education (GED and illiteracy) - 112; substance abuse - 48; outside medical appointments - 10; courts and legal - 40; a total of 210 inmates.
Other restrictions on outside work performed by inmates include five juveniles (felons), 45 federal inmates, 160 inmates awaiting trial, and 183 felons, of which about 70 percent are convicted of assaultive crimes. For reasons of security and deterrence of escape, pre-trial inmates and federal inmates are not permitted to work outside the jail, and felons with assaultive backgrounds should not be wished on citizens of local communities. You cannot equate working misdemeanant juveniles, as listed in your editorial, with felony-committing adults.
Of inmates screened and found suitable for some type of work, 68 are used in internal jail trusty jobs, about 10 form work crews for daily locality assistance, and an additional 30 perform community-service on weekend work crews. This past fiscal year, inmate work crews performed 22,709 hours of work in support of member localities. Multiplied by the minimum wage of $4.25, the jail saved localities $96,513.25 in wages alone. Additionally, about 29 inmates are in the work-release program, comprised of inmates who work civilian paid jobs during the day, pay court debts, and also pay for their jail room and board. This past year, work-release inmates paid $51,033 in jail costs, $16,000 in family-support cases and $5,900 in court costs.
When all these programs are added to state-mandated physical exercise and library requirements, AA meetings and religious programs, inmates are generally involved in some activity that precludes lounging around in a cell.
With regard to your statement, ``Taxpayers also pay for jails,'' we are proud to state the Western Tidewater Regional Jail began operations on July 1, 1992, and has not received one cent of taxpayer money since September 1992. It is financially self-supporting.
I trust this letter will answer questions posed in the editorial.
J.R. Dewan
Superintendent
Western Tidewater Regional Jail
Suffolk by CNB