1. This is about the forces of law and order in Alachua and what we get for the dollars we invest in the criminal justice system of the county.
2. On a per capita basis, the comparison to other parts of the worldis not flattering…. Alachua county incarceration rate: 1,000 plus per 100,000 people Florida incarceration rate: 867 per 100,000 people United States incarceration population rate: 740 per 100,000 people Current world incarceration rate: 168 per 100,000 people
3. This is Alachua County Alachua County Jail/Work Release: 933/60 Alachua County Residents in State Prisons: 1,661 in prison 610 released from prison last year 19th of 68 counties in incarceration rates Parole and Probation: 1,978
4. Selected Jail Populations and Incarceration Rates by County in Florida Current world prison population rate: 168 per 100,000 people Makes you wonder how Canada can survive as a democracy with an incarceration ratio of about 113 per 100,000 County population figures are estimates of the April 1, 2009 population. Incarceration rates measure number incarcerated per 100,000 persons.
5. As if the incarceration ratio was not enough, the county is now building an annex to the jail to house more inmates
6. You would think that with such a high incarceration rate that this would be one of the safest places in the world The most recent statics show that Gainesville is safer than only 8 percent of the cities nationally with a population of 25,000 or more. That means that 92 percent of the cities in the U.S. are safer than Gainesville. The national median of violent crimes in the U.S. is 4.7 per 1,000 residents. Gainesville's median is 9.6, and Florida's median is 7.88. That means that in Gainesville your chance of being a target of violent crime is twice that of the national average.
7. This is the story of a birth in our county jail with an average population of 1,000 inmates Booked in May…. Gave birth July 4
8. Booked in May…. Gave birth July 4 12:16 p.m. Called 911 for ambulance 110:40 a.m. “Repeatedly and properly… asked to be taken to the hospital.” 3:10 p.m. Jail staff calls ambulance 2:30 p.m. Contractions 5 minutes apart 3:15 p.m. Baby girl delivered in jail 12:28 p.m. Ambulance turned away Time Line of Birth of Baby in Alachua County Jail
9. How did this happen? It happened in a county of 250,000 residents where over 80,000 residents are college and university students that represent the best and the brightest of the State. It happened in a county where the economic engines are education, medicine and government. It happened in a county which by any standards is predominantly well-educated, professional by occupation, financially comfortable, and politically liberal.
10. It did NOT happen because the “good ol’ boys” are still in charge in Alachua County…. Robert Woody Director of the Alachua County Jail Recognized State leader in corrections matters Sadie Darnel Sheriff Career Police Officer who retired from Gainesville Police Department
11. In spite of all this, and in seeming contradiction to it….. Alachua County also has one of the highest crime rates per capita in the state — ranking seventh in 2009 with 5,004 crimes per 100,000 residents, according to numbers reported to the FDLE. The highest rate is within the jurisdiction of the Gainesville Police Department - 5,988.7 crimes per 100,000 residents.
12. Why so much crime with such an incarceration ratio? Could it be that we are locking up the wrong people? Or could it be that our prisons and jails have become centers of higher criminality, turning non-violent offenders into violent offenders with improved criminal networking capacities?
13. Core Issues If the state prison incarceration profile is valid for Alachua then the average education level of those incarcerated is the 6th grade. If the state prison incarceration profile is valid for Alachua then over 60 percent of the inmate population has an addiction problem.
Editor's Notes
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10:40 am "She repeatedly and properly insisted that she needed to see a doctor and be taken to the hospital,"At 12:16 p.m., Reinhold called 911 so she could request an ambulance12:28 p.m ambulance arrived but was turned away2:30 p.m. nurses had confirmed that Reinhold's contractions were five minutes apart3:05 p.m. she had not been seen by a doctor. Minutes later, Reinhold yelled to the infirmary staff the baby was coming. At 3:10 p.m. the jail staff called for an ambulance. At 3:15 p.m. a baby girl was delivered in the infirmary and wrapped in non-sterile jail towels. Reinhold and the newborn girl then were taken to Shands at the University of Florida.
10:40 am "She repeatedly and properly insisted that she needed to see a doctor and be taken to the hospital,"At 12:16 p.m., Reinhold called 911 so she could request an ambulance12:28 p.m ambulance arrived but was turned away2:30 p.m. nurses had confirmed that Reinhold's contractions were five minutes apart3:05 p.m. she had not been seen by a doctor. Minutes later, Reinhold yelled to the infirmary staff the baby was coming. At 3:10 p.m. the jail staff called for an ambulance. At 3:15 p.m. a baby girl was delivered in the infirmary and wrapped in non-sterile jail towels. Reinhold and the newborn girl then were taken to Shands at the University of Florida.
Columnists Home > Columnists Enlarge TextEmailPrintReprintShareView One PageWITH PHOTONO PHOTOFACEBOOKYAHOONEWSVINEDEL.ICIO.USCounty jail director joining Rick Scott's transition teamBy Chad SmithStaff WritersPublished: Sunday, November 21, 2010 at 11:01 p.m. Last Modified: Sunday, November 21, 2010 at 11:01 p.m. ( page of 2 )One of the enduring images of this past gubernatorial campaign was Rick Scott, or at least a bald guy wearing a T-shirt that said "Rick Scott," opening up prison gates and letting inmates go free.Click to enlarge Robert Woody "Let's get to work," one says, parroting Scott's catchphrase in a Florida Police Benevolent Association ad slamming the Republican candidate.Now, after narrowly beating Democrat Alex Sink, the governor-elect is the one getting to work. And so is Robert Woody.Last week, Woody, the director of the Alachua County jail and the Alachua County Republican Party's state committeeman for the past decade, was named to Scott's law and order transition team to give input on the corrections system.Others on the team — a group including a judge, a state attorney, veterans and private-sector executives — will weigh in on juvenile justice, law enforcement, military affairs and emergency management."Scott has tasked the team with identifying innovative ideas from the private sector, success stories from other states, cost-saving opportunities and legislative priorities that will assist him as he prepares to officially take office in January," according to a news release.Woody said he is honored to be a part of the team and is excited about the opportunity to "represent the taxpayers and make sure our money is being spent wisely."During her campaign for governor, Sink and her running mate, Gainesville attorney Rod Smith, criticized Scott's plan to cut about $1 billion from the state's prison system.When asked about the cuts, Woody declined to comment much, saying he is waiting for the team's first meeting to see "what direction the governor wants to go in.""Then we'll go to work," he said.http://www.gainesville.com/article/20101121/COLUMNISTS/101129910 The Alachua County Jail3333 NE 39th AveGainesville, FL 32609On January 18, 1998, the ACSO Department of the Jail became a reality when the Alachua County Board of County Commissioners, through an Interlocal Agreement, transferred the responsibility for the County Jail to the Alachua County Sheriff's Office.The Department of the Jail is a 1148 bed, 314,000 square foot facility which incarcerates adult male and female offenders for up to one year. The core facility was completed in January 1994. In 2007, two renovations were completed which added 60 additional beds to the facility (40 beds in C Zone and 20 beds in D Zone). This raised the number of beds to 980; and, with a classification factor of 15%, the optimal number of inmates to be housed is 833. In addition, groundbreaking has been held for a new 168 bed addition, which should be completed by the Fall of 2008. This will increase the total number of beds to 1,148; and, after a classification factor of 15%, the optimum number of inmates that can be housed after the new construction is completed is 975.The Department of the Jail is commanded by the Director who reports to the Chief Deputy. The jail is comprised of the Security Operations Division, Support Services Division, Inmate Programs and Community Outreach Bureau, and the Inmate Services Division.Inmate Look-up Jail Inmate StatisticsAll 2010 Daily Population Counts (MS Excel)All 2009 Daily Population Counts (MS Excel)All 2008 Daily Population Counts (MS Excel)All 2007 Daily Population Counts (MS Excel)
ACSO is near top in state in officersCounty officials are using the numbers to say the Sheriff's Office is adequately funded.File photo Buy photoA Alachua County Sheriff's Deputy puts up crime scene tape to keep media out of a private residence at 14313 SW 79th Street Tuesday, October 6, 2009. Law enforcement were working the scene where two tree trimmers were electrocuted when a rope they were using touched a power line.By Christopher CurryStaff writerPublished: Saturday, December 4, 2010 at 6:01 a.m. Last Modified: Friday, December 3, 2010 at 11:57 p.m. ( page all of 4 )The Alachua County Sheriff's Office ranks among the top seven in the state for the ratio of sworn officers to population. This fiscal year, the agency has more full-time equivalent employee positions, 851.5, than the Sheriff's Office in neighboring Marion, which has 830 full-time employees and a more populous coverage area.Highest per-capita sheriff's officersTop seven counties with the highest ratio of sworn sheriff's officers per 1,000 residents in Florida:1. Miami-Dade 2.82. Monroe County 2.73. Walton County 2.74. Bay County 2.55. Broward County 2.46. Franklin County 2.47. Alachua County 2.1State average 1.7Source: Florida Department of Law Enforcement (Alachua County numbers based on 246 sworn officers for a population of 115,882 in unincorporated county and the five municipalities where Sheriff's Office is primary law enforcement agency)Click to enlargeIn terms of both the adopted budget and the amount of that budget made up with tax revenues provided by the County Commission, the Alachua County Sheriff's Office receives more funding than the sheriff's offices in Lake and Charlotte counties, which both have jurisdictions with higher populations but significantly lower crime rates per capita, according to Florida Department of Law Enforcement statistics.These budgeting and staffing numbers, culled primarily from information reported to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, are now included in county government's response to Sheriff Sadie Darnell's appeal to the governor and Cabinet of her fiscal year 2010-11 budget. County Manager Randall Reid said that state officials assigned 14 "peer" counties to Alachua County and requested a comparison in terms of Sheriff's Office funding staffing levels.Alachua County officials are working to use these comparisons to support their argument that, in spite of sometimes scathing criticism leveled during the budget process, the County Commission has adequately funded the Sheriff's Office. Prior to the comparisons, the county had already submitted information on the Alachua County Sheriff's Office's 21 percent reduction in call load over the past three years and a nearly 17 percent reduction in the agency's crime rate numbers from 2006 to 2009.Commissioner Mike Byerly has requested that county staff make a presentation on the staffing ratios and budget comparisons with peer counties during a Dec. 7 meeting, which Darnell requested months ago to discuss funding for the jail."I keep trying to bring this conversation back to some factual basis instead of some personal feud," Byerly said of the sometimes heated five-month debate over the sheriff's budget.On Thursday, The Gainesville Sun faxed FDLE statistics on sworn officer staffing levels and the numbers compiled by county officials to Darnell's office. She declined to discuss them at this time, saying she wanted the focus of the Dec. 7 meeting to be on "critical" staffing and inmate crowding issues at the jail. Darnell said she would welcome a discussion on the law enforcement and patrol deputy portion of her agency's budget — including the ratio of sworn officers to residents — in early 2011 as preparation starts for the 2011-12 fiscal year budget.Statistics reported to FDLE and those compiled by the county showed the following:The Alachua County Sheriff's Office ratio of 2.1 sworn officers for every 1,000 residents places the county seventh out of 67 Florida sheriff's offices. Those statistics are based on 246 sworn officers and a coverage area population of 115,882 in the unincorporated county and the five municipalities where the Sheriff's Office is the primary law enforcement agency. The statewide average is 1.7 sworn officers for every 1,000 residents.Of the 67 sheriff's offices in the state, Alachua County reported the 19th-highest crime rate per capita in 2009.A county staff review combined the staffing levels reported to the FDLE by the Sheriff's Office, the four municipal police departments in the county and the police departments of the University of Florida and Santa Fe College and concluded that, countywide, Alachua County had one sworn law enforcement officer for every 376 residents. That placed the county fourth out of 67 counties in terms of the ratio of law enforcement officers to total population — behind Monroe, Miami-Dade and Franklin counties.Byerly has stated his belief that the numbers show Alachua County is one of the most "heavily policed" counties in the state.During their Nov. 23 meeting, Commissioner Susan Baird countered that comparisons with other counties were not necessarily valid when each area has its own unique demographics, including the large population of university students in Alachua County.Countywide, Alachua County also has one of the highest crime rates per capita in the state — ranking seventh in 2009 with 5,004 crimes per 100,000 residents, according to numbers reported to the FDLE. The highest rate is within the jurisdiction of the Gainesville Police Department, 5,988.7 crimes per 100,000 residents.The Alachua County Sheriff's Office has more sworn officers and a higher approved budget than at least two "peer" counties.The agency has 246 sworn law enforcement officers, a primary coverage area population of 115,882 and an approved budget of $65,034,686, which was approximately $507,000 less than Darnell's final request of $65,542,136. That gap between the approved and requested budget numbers prompted Darnell's appeal to the state. By comparison, the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office, which covers a jurisdiction of approximately 148,466 residents, has 203 sworn officers and a budget of approximately $57.3 million.The Lake County Sheriff's Office has a primary coverage area of 154,839 people, 222 sworn officers and an approved 2010-11 fiscal year budget of $62,995,605.Still, both the Lake County and Charlotte agencies had substantially lower crime rates per capita — 2,869.3 crimes per 100,000 residents for the Charlotte County agency and 2,540 crimes per 100,000 residents for the Lake County Sheriff's Office.The Alachua County Commission meeting with Darnell is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Tuesday. Commissioners will again discuss whether to give Darnell funding from the nearly $712,000 in unspent funds her agency returned at the end of last fiscal year.On Nov. 23, Byerly and commissioners Rodney Long and Paula DeLaney said they would prefer to let the appeal play out because meeting the request would undermine their current budgeting policies, which dictate that 55.18 percent of the money from the general fund goes to departments under the board and 44.82 percent goes to the five constitutional officers.Contact Christopher Curry at 374-5088 or chris.curry@gvillesun.comPrevious Page1234Next Pagehttp://www.gainesville.com/article/20101204/ARTICLES/101209770?p=all&tc=pgall
