Randolph County Jail receives inspection report
<span>CHESTER -- The Randolph County Sheriff's Office has recently received the inspection report for the county's jail and aside from some already occurring and known issues, it was a positive analysis of the facility and its operations.</span>
<span>The report, conducted by the Illinois Department of Corrections' Office of Jail and Detention Standards, lists the jail in noncompliance in having only one correctional officer assigned to some shifts, instead of two.</span>
<span>"The recommendation to have backup personnel, we sometimes have two people on a shift, we sometimes don't," said Randolph County Sheriff Shannon Wolff. "It's sometimes just one (correctional officer) and they require us to have two.</span>
<span>"It's a safety issue and the County Board has agreed to put another (officer) on at the beginning of the next fiscal year (in December). That will help get more cover on each shift and that's what we need."</span>
<span>The inspection report makes note of the fact that of the four cellblocks in the jail, at least one cell door or plumbing feature in each was inoperable. This has been a long-term issue and Wolff has previously stated that repairs could cost up to $500,000.</span>
<span>"We just recently met with another company to look at replacing the doors in a different way," Wolff said. "Our original bid was $500,000 and we're hoping this bid will be significantly less. It's not as involved as the first one was."</span>
<span>Wolff said the new way could be replacing the current system with electromagnetic locks, similar to those used at Chester Mental Health Center.</span>
<span>"It's a matter of putting the hardware in our existing doors," Wolff said. "They wouldn't have to change the whole door, they would just have to add to the existing one.</span>
<span>"It would eliminate the mechanisms that are broken now that are shutting the doors down."</span>
<span>Wolff said in the event of a power outage, there would be a battery backup system and the jail also has a diesel generator on-site that's tested every Wednesday.</span>
<span>"That kicks on almost instantly after the other one goes out, so we're covered there," Wolff said in regard to the generator. "And the (inmates) would still be locked in the (cell)block. So even if the doors open, they'd still be secure if something would fail."</span>
<span>The report also states the jail was "exceptionally clean" during its inspection on May 27 and noted that a commercial washer and dryer are slated to be installed. Both appliances are being paid for out of inmate commissary funds.</span>
<span>"The dryer is in, we haven't installed it yet," Wolff said. "It's at the company we bought it from. We are waiting for the washer to be shipped from its manufacturer and we'll install it."</span>
<span>Wolff was asked what the biggest thing was he took away from the report.</span>
<span>"We just have a few problems, but they're pretty significant problems," he said. "With the lack of staffing, there's a better chance of somebody getting hurt.</span>
<span>"The plumbing is just old and needs to be replaced, the same with the doors, we're just trying to get the best bang for our buck."</span>