Safety Risk

Public and Staff Safety

Safety is compromised every time inmates are pursued for arrest warrants, taken to court, or transferred to other counties for housing. Transferring inmates for the referenced responsibilities takes deputies off the road, decreasing their focus on citizen safety. From a design perspective, the existing jail’s linear layout stretches cells along long hallways and acute angles, creating blind spots and the need for closed circuit television or other means to maintain 24/7 visual surveillance. The booking area is another concern as the only way to get inmates to the third floor is by elevator which exposes deputies to risk by being with inmates in a confined space. Lastly, inmates are moved through general areas as there are not secure corridors to booking, jail, or courtroom. These actions leave the public, staff, and inmates at risk of injury, increase risk of inmate escapes, and pose potential liability to Webster County.

Inmate Safety

Crowded cells and the loss of privacy increase the odds that inmates will lash out, threatening the staff keeping watch and inmates around them. Also due to limited space it is often difficult to separate violent offenders from the non-violent offenders.

The control room at the Webster County jail is a windowless room and does not have any direct lines of sight into the cells or inmate spaces. All inmate monitoring is done through security camera feeds which can be challenging for staff to monitor multiple screens at once. If a crisis occurs, this outdated control room design presents a risk to both inmates and staff.

Other Safety Risks

When medical attention is needed, an ambulance can't pull into the sally port so it blocks the street. This is an obstruction to traffic and a potential risk as the secure and controlled access environment between the inmate and jail is removed.
As mentioned above, the elevator to the 3rd floor jail creates a security risk to the staff but it also restricts quick medical and/or officer support response when needed. If power is lost, there is no access to 3rd floor.
The sally port is also serving as the emergency evacuation area for staff and inmates and for receiving deliveries. This should be a dedicated secure and controlled environment used for the sole purpose of bringing inmates into the jail safely.
The booking space is a major pass-through area when moving inmates, causing potential security and safety issues.
There is no on-site medical space so inmates need to be transported to community health clinic or hospital by staff.
The booking area is next to padded cell which can be risk potential to staff and other inmates when dealing with disruptive inmates.
Staff often has to go into cell to do routine inmate safety checks.
The jail has a linear design (vs. podular design) which creates increased potential for inmate and staff assaults. Poor visibility associated with linear design also creates opportunity for a contraband problem.
There are no secure perimeters that provide easy access to electrical, mechanical, and plumbing systems so inmates often need to be moved from cells so contractors can enter when systems need maintenance.

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