Portage County female inmates face crowded conditions

By: Vivian Feke, Celia Fernandez and Joanna Kamvouris

Rows of plastic cots, known in prisons as “boats,” line the floors of the cells, topped with a thin mattress and blanket. As new inmates are admitted, the rooms become tighter; the air thicker. On a daily average, the Portage County Jail houses 38 females, but the jail can only hold 34.

One Monday morning, Portage County Sheriff David Doak walked into work to find 60 women in the jail.

“That’s almost double what we’re supposed to have,” Doak said. “Aside from the fact that they don’t want to be here, and don’t like being here…the overcrowding is an issue, and thus far, it has been sort of confined to the female population.”

Levy for Change

 

Portage County administrators sought to pass a two-year levy on the November ballot to fund an expansion of the county jail. If passed, Issue 18 would raise the $1.2 million needed to add an additional pod to the facility to accommodate the rising number of female inmates.

On November 4, 2014, voters decided not to pass Issue 18 with 67.43 percent voting against the levy, according to the Portage County Board of Elections. Without the $1.2 million needed for the additional pod, the jail conditions remain unchanged.

“There is a void in the building, and if we were to put a doorway in, there would be space there for 32 beds, which happens to be right by the female [ward],” Doak said.

Sheriff Doak said limited space has become somewhat of a statewide issue.

“We have an inspection that takes place annually from the state, and they certainly make recommendations,” Doak said. “They don’t want the overcrowding, but no one knows what to do with it.”

Women Behind Bars

As the number of female inmates continues to increase, the trend has captured the attention of Portage County officials. Sheriff Doak said the rise in female crimes may have stemmed from various societal factors.

“I think that some of those inmates are making bad choices in life,” he said. “They’re getting involved with drugs and alcohol and hanging out with guys or other girls who are stealing things and committing crimes to support habits, and I think that we’re seeing the result of it.”

During the past 10 years, Portage County has seen a rise in drug-related arrests. Although cocaine was once considered the “drug of choice” among users, Sheriff Doak said the use of prescription drugs led to problems with heroine.

“We do know that a lot of individuals who come into the facility are here as a result of drug issues,” he said. “The burglaries, robberies, a lot of the paper crimes that include fraudulent schemes to obtain money, much of that relates to people trying to support a drug habit.”

Officials Face Challenges

Captain Ricky Neal, Portage County jail administrator, said prisoners eat breakfast at 5:30 a.m., have lunch at 11 a.m. and eat dinner in the cafeteria around 4:30 p.m. To keep inmates from lounging in the TV room during the day, the county jail provides work programs for many of the inmates to maintain a productive schedule. These programs include mowing the lawn, painting, gardening and working in the kitchen. Despite these activities, jail officials still come across occasional problems.

“We have some (inmates) that have come within the past couple months and their behavior is off the wall,” Neal said. “It’s one of the biggest things we deal with in some of the ones dealing with mental issues.”

Sheriff Doak, who has worked in the field for 46 years, said the profession itself is grueling, especially in today’s society.

“Looking back throughout my career, I think today’s time is much more challenging than any other time,” he said. “We have people who come in the door who are agitated and want to fight. It’s a pretty challenging job; you’re very confined. It’s not a job where you can jump in a patrol car and go out and enjoy the sunshine during the day. We don’t have social programs here, jail is not a good place to be.”

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