Officials from the Logan County Sheriff’s Office report the Logan County Juvenile Detention Center has re-opened and juvenile inmates were moved back to the 104 S. Madriver St. facility Dec. 14, a promising sign in dealings with the COVID-19 crisis that the operation can return to some normalcy.
Jail Administrator Lt. Adam Fullerton said at the beginning of the pandemic in March, the juvenile detainees were initially moved to their own area of the Logan County Jail that typically houses only adults. With the uncertainty of that time and to help eliminate staffing issues if corrections officers would contract the virus, it was in the best interests of the personnel and inmates to consolidate operations at the 284 S. County Road 32 facility.
However, as the months have progressed, Lt. Fullerton said the jail’s cleaning protocol, including a disinfecting fogging machine and doubling daily cleaning and laundry, along with health screenings and quarantine procedures for new inmates have proved effective in preventing widespread transmission of COVID-19 among incarcerated individuals.
In fact, only one adult and two juvenile inmates have had confirmed cases of the virus since March, he said.
“We felt like we had the situation under control and now we’re in a good place to move juveniles back to the JDC,” the lieutenant said of the decision to re-open the facility.
Among his staff, the jail administrator related that about one-third of corrections personnel have had the virus, but it has not all come at once and hasn’t been unmanageable.
“We feel very fortunate, and the state has been impressed,” he said. “We have to report our numbers every day, including the number of inmates and staff with positive cases or in quarantine.
“Staff and inmates are screened daily for health issues, and they are good about notifying us if they don’t feel well. Our medical staff have been superior as well with their care of the staff and inmates.”
Lt. Fullerton said when inmates are booked into the jail, they are quarantined for a seven-day period before they are housed with the general population.
The LCSO has purchased the disinfecting fogging machines for both the JDC and the adult jail, along with a machine on loan from the Logan County Emergency Management Agency. The machine produces a mist/fog and completely sanitizes everything in its range and is used daily at both facilities.
Governor Mike DeWine’s March 11 order that suspended visitation at the adult jail and JDC also is still in effect, the jail administrator noted.
Another help in lowering the spread of the virus within the jail walls has been the reduction of the number of inmates housed at the local facilities. In March, LCSO officials met with judges from the Logan County Common Pleas Court, Logan County Family Court and Bellefontaine Municipal Court to consider a list of low-level, non-violent offenders. Some of these individuals were required to return to the detention facility to finish their sentences, while others were required to follow up with court hearings.
With currently staffing levels, the Logan County Jail is currently capped at a population of 60 inmates, and the JDC at 12 inmates. Monday, there were five youths housed at the juvenile facility, and Tuesday, the adult jail roster showed 43 inmates.
“We cannot thank the judges enough for working with us; they have done a phenomenal job with this process,” Lt. Fullerton said. “The individuals who need to be in jail are, and for others, we can work out alternative solutions.”
Throughout the health crisis, Lt. Fullerton and Logan County Sheriff Randy Dodds said corrections staff have worked diligently to unsure that the required protocol are carried out and also have been extremely flexible with their ever-changing schedules. For a portion of 2020, corrections staff and other LCSO personnel switched to 12-hour shifts to provide an extra rotation of individuals in case a particular shift came down ill.
“Our staff has been wonderful; we can’t thank them enough for their self-less attitudes,” the jail administrator said. “Beginning March 5, we go to our fifth schedule change in the last 12 month and I have never heard a complaint.”
“The corrections staff are our unsung heroes,” Sheriff Dodds said. “They work behind-the-scenes and don’t have as many interactions with the public, but they need to be commended for a job well-done.”