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Juvenile Justice Center needs repairs
Published Wednesday, July 2, 2008
NATCHEZ — The Adams County Juvenile Justice Center is about to get a facelift — but not for aesthetics.
Detention administrator Glenn Arnold said for years the young inmates have been putting holes in the walls and ceilings of their cells to gain access to the interior of the building.
“We’re going to put up a barrier they can’t get through,” he said of the work to be done.
To deter the crawling kids, Arnold said walls and ceilings of the cells will be lined with sheet metal that the inmates cannot break through.
While the problem has been going on since the detention center housed its first juvenile offenders in 2002, Arnold said he recently concluded the traditional walls and ceilings of the cells simply would not suffice.
While most of the cells have cinder block walls some sections of wall and ceiling are made of Durock.
Durock is a product like drywall but reinforced with concrete for strength.
Arnold said while several of the center’s 13 cells have holes in the walls or ceilings only two have been left unusable.
Arnold said the facility discontinued the use of bunk beds years ago because it was too easy for the inmates to reach the ceiling and break through to the building’s interior.
While there are no bunk beds in use today, standing atop a normal bed in the facility still provides access to the ceiling.
The hole in the ceiling above one bunk almost looks too small for a person to fit through, but it isn’t.
“It’s dangerous,” Arnold said.
Arnold said most inmates who are found to have been in the building say they were simply curious.
Arnold suspects other motives.
“No one’s going to say they were trying to escape,” he said.
Arnold also said he believes the male and female inmates are breaking into the building to find each other.
Arnold said there have been no instances of any inmates gaining access to other inmates via the interior of the building, nor have any escaped.
But Arnold said his biggest concern right now is the safety of the inmates.
The building’s interior is filled with water pipes and electrical conduit.
“We cannot have them going in the inside of the building,” he said. “It is not safe.”
Adams County Supervisor S.E. “Spanky” Felter said he is concerned with the safety of the inmates and the actual facility.
“Once they’re in there they could do a lot of damage,” Felter said.
Both Arnold and Felter said they found it odd that the cells were lined with the Durock since it’s so easy to break apart.
But Arnold and Felter both said the sheet metal should stop the problem.
Felter said early estimates for the project indicated the materials would cost approximately $3,000.
Felter said the county’s maintenance man, Allen Jones would be overseeing the project.
However Allen said he refused to discuss any aspect of the project.
Comments
Posted by OldGrandDad (anonymous) on July 2, 2008 at 1:15 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I find it very strange that a building that was created to hold people (kids) jailed was not made with breakouts in mind. Could this be for the same reasons the metal roof of the still new building rusted?
Posted by harvest1 (anonymous) on July 2, 2008 at 7:21 a.m. (Suggest removal)
true
Posted by wifetoone (anonymous) on July 2, 2008 at 8:09 a.m. (Suggest removal)
For the safety of the INMATES. They did not worry about the safety of the things that they done to get their butts in jail, they are in there for a reason and its not for summer vacation. Do something about it. Don't just sit back and look at what they do. Because I'm sure that the ones are in there,are repeaters. Stand up and do something.
Posted by observer (anonymous) on July 2, 2008 at 9:22 a.m. (Suggest removal)
If Mr. Arnold was quoted correctly and the prisoners have been doing this "for years", why did it take so long to figure it out?
It is hard to tell exactly what this article is talking about because it repeatedly says things like "found to have been in the building" and "breaking into the building". You have to presume this means the spaces behind the ceiling and walls, but that isn't made clear.
Then after Mr. Arnold is quoted as saying male and female prisoners are "breaking into the building to find each other", he then says there have been no instances of any inmates gaining access to other inmates via the "interior of the building". Well - - did they or didn't they?
Posted by mike8427 (anonymous) on July 2, 2008 at 2:01 p.m. (Suggest removal)
"Arnold also said he believes the male and female inmates are breaking into the building to find each other." - Sounds like a bunch of primates.
Posted by acedog (anonymous) on July 2, 2008 at 2:53 p.m. (Suggest removal)
the detention center needs new leadership. the board needs to tour that place and see first hand just how bad of shape that building is in. mr. arnold is just collecting a paycheck he could care less about the youth that comes through there.they need to put someone in place there whom actually cares about making a difference in these teens life. because todays juvinile offenders are tomorrows adult offenders.right now there is still hope to change some of them,but not with a leader who doesn't give a dam about those kids.
Posted by lilredhead (anonymous) on July 2, 2008 at 5:10 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Maybe they could make it more like a real prison. If they can not abide by the rules, act like they want to get out, actually straighten up and contribute to society they should experience what their future will look like. Handcuffs, bars (or a cage), solitary confinement, let them see where they are heading. Why can they not punish them with more time for destroying property. Do they have programs for these kids? Things to keep them out of trouble? Do they do any work while they are there? Can they go to classes? Why not have two facilities, one for the males and one for the females? Why should the people of MS have to pay for this? Why has it been allowed to go on for 6 years? Sounds like there is no one to watch these kids.
Posted by redusmfan (anonymous) on July 2, 2008 at 6:06 p.m. (Suggest removal)
We are not sending the best and brightest kids in town to this facility. These are thugs and future thugs so we should build it out of concrete and steel with good crossbars to hold them, just like the places they will be incarcerated in their futures.....
Posted by natchez500 (anonymous) on July 2, 2008 at 6:24 p.m. (Suggest removal)
well this must be a mayfield deal we thought arnold was doing a good job now judge hudson your move punish kids were doing wrong how many officers have been hurt fooling with those bad kids
Posted by NtzMom55 (anonymous) on July 2, 2008 at 10:47 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I'm so tired of our tax $$$ being wasted on the degenerates of America.
Posted by fire39212 (anonymous) on July 3, 2008 at 12:23 a.m. (Suggest removal)
NtzMom55 you said a mouthful there......Heck if they have to go there make there parents foot the bill....
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