The Hamilton County Justice Center will get roughly $4 million from Hamilton County to repair broken locks and doors on cells inside the jail, commissioners announced Thursday.
The vote happened just two days after Hamilton County Sheriff Charmaine McGuffey addressed county commissioners in a public meeting to address concerns of safety within the jail and with deputies on patrol.
According to McGuffey on Tuesday, inmates within the jail have used cardboard or other items to manipulate cell door locks, which often breaks them. All of the locks need replacing, and some cells need full door replacements, which come at a high cost, said McGuffey.
Commissioners verbally agreed at Tuesday's meeting their planned Thursday vote to determine whether the $4 million is awarded to the jail to fix the locks would go in McGuffey's favor.
On Thursday, they officially voted in favor of giving the funds to the jail.
"These corrections officers there, they're sick of waiting," said Dan Hils, President of Front Line Advisors, LLC, which advocates for their union.
Hils said officers inside the facility are nervous about the conditions in which they work, which he said hurts recruitment.
The broken locks are just one of several issues within the Justice Center that McGuffey addressed before commissioners.
Inmates at the jail were using tablets that McGuffey said were doled out during the previous administration, under former sheriff Jim Neil. Then, in 2022, male inmates began disassembling those tablets, using the device's battery to burn holes in windows in the jail.
After repeated damage, McGuffey said she permanently revoked the tablets from all male inmates; female inmates are still permitted to use them, because they did not abuse the privileges of having them, she added.
In all, McGuffey said 132 damaged windows within the Hamilton County Justice Center have been replaced. Only five in need of replacing remain.
She also highlighted efforts to paint, renovate offices and upgrade technology within the jail to bring the facility up to speed and provide a safe, encouraging work environment for corrections officers working inside.
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