For me, taking the tour of the Peoria County Jail was definitely a reality check. Ever since I was a little kid, I’ve always known that what I wanted to do was something in the profession of law enforcement. However, I had plans of possibly going to a maximum or high security prison across the country once I finished my schooling next year, and may have changed my mind on that after our tour. What made me rethink the fact that I don’t really want to work at such a high-risk correctional facility was when our portion of the group was up in the “guard tower” that overlooks the cell block we went into. The guard that was talking to us said she had been there for 27 years and had seen some things and had things done to her that no one should ever really have to go through. Some of the things she said that were definitely nasty, but not really what affected my mentality of it all, were that she had seen some inmates eat their own feces and she would have to sometimes clean it up afterward, or that she had either had feces or urine thrown on her, or to other correctional officers there, as well as the fact that she said some of these inmates truly weren’t right in the head or were going through some kind of serious withdrawal from either alcohol or some sort of drug and were extremely uncontrollable. She also made mention of the fact that some of the “crazy” people they bring in truly are sort of “super-humans,” in the sense that they do have abnormal strength. She said no matter what you can bench press, you really don’t hardly stand a chance at controlling somebody like this by yourself, so the best thing to do is to immediately radio for backup. What she did say that kind of was a reality check for me was when she made mention of having to deal with murders and rapists that had committed pretty much the highest tiers of crimes and having to look into their eyes. She said there was once a gentleman that came into their facility awaiting trial for multiple murders, and when she looked into his eyes… there was absolutely nothing there. She said it was like she could see into his soul and there was nothing there. She said it was the most eerie feeling she’s ever had from working there and that she refused to touch him while he was in the Peoria County Jail. She made mention of when she looked into his eyes, you could actually see that something was truly wrong with this man- he was an actual psychopath- someone who deserved to be in the jail, or 6 feet under it, for the rest of his life. Hearing this encounter from her really made me think about what I wanted to do with my future. I no longer desire to start off in a high security correctional facility simply because my mindset on the matter is that I would rather risk my life out on the streets to get the dangerous people not in jail or prison already, out off the streets so they can’t harm anymore civilians. For me, I know regardless of the level of security facility you work in, there will be risk, but I would rather work in a minimum or medium security level facility and not have to be around as many of these psychopaths, because there is absolutely nothing stopping them from trying to take your life as well being as they have nothing to lose. I know somebody has to do these jobs, I just don’t think that that level of correctional based job is for me, and I think I’m meant to be out on the streets getting those psychopaths off the street before they can harm anyone else in the outside world. GMan219711
Going to the jail yesterday was a great experience. It helped further my understanding on how the jail runs. There are so many sights and smells when you first walk into booking, it is overwhelming at first. He first talk about how many people are in the jail right now, I believe he said 237 inmates 30 of them being female. When he was talking about the jail population he said that he cut the population in half saving the jail millions of dollars in the process. I think he said it cost $80.37 a day to house an inmate in the jail. That is a lot of money when you have nearly 300 inmates much less 600. I like that he does not have a blanket search policy. He talked about how if he would have it, he would have to search everyone and he does not like that. He gave the example of what if your daughter got a traffic ticket before she went back to school, she forgot to pay it and got a warrant on her. She is picked up and sent to county. She does not need to be stripped search, all she did was forgot to pay her ticket. With the blanket search policy she would have to be stripped search and the sheriff does not want to do that to a low level offender. One of the first thing that caught my attention of how horrible jail can be is how far people will go not to be caught with drugs. The one story that the sheriff talk about when the kid in booking swallowed crack cocaine so he wouldn’t be caught with it. The kid would overdose and died before he hit the ground. It is sad that he would go that far not to be caught with the crack cocaine. Another thing that I found interesting is that they do not use the outside yard anymore. For safety reasons they stop letting inmates out there. It cause too many problems of contraband being brought into the jail. The sheriff talked about the phones that he had placed into the blocks being a nice addition, because it helped him solve a couple of murders. He talked about how the inmates would use the phone to call a friend to get rid of the gun. It is all recorded so all the sheriff would have to do is make a copy and send it to the prosecutor. What is also cool is the Correctional Officers have complete control over the inmates cells. They can control the water in the cell, the lights, if you get to use the bathroom in your cell, and more. It crazy how much they can do in just one spot of the jail. -ClarkKent007,711
I thought there was a lot of interesting that were discussed. I learned that here use to be around six hundred people in jail and now they have around two hundred people. That’s a very big drop. I thought it was interesting when they were talking about strip searches. Dignity is a very important value and you don't want to take away someone’s dignity. They don't do strip searches unless there is suspicion that the person has a weapon or drugs or they might have a reasonable suspicion that the person is dangerous. I think that’s a great idea because if someone misses a court date for something small and they a warrant, they shouldn't have to have the strip search. I didn’t realize how much control correctional officers have. The correctional officer that is in charge of the pod has power over everything. They have power to the showers, tv, lights, etc. They have power to shut those off or turn them on. I thought it was interesting that they were able to solve a case through phone records that came from the prison. I thought it was interesting when the discussed about how they handle people on suicide watch. They check on the person every fifteen minutes. They also have a chair that either has soft restraints or hard restraints. If the person sits there for too long, the have a risk for blood clots so the staff tries to get them up and moving every hour to prevent that. I thought that the fingerprints were able to identity someone immediately but it doesn't. They talked about transporting inmates and I didn't realize how dangerous it was. You have to get them out of their room and get them into a vehicle that has bars on the outside. They said they don’t take the same route twice. People aren't going to try and break someone out of the building but there is a chance a person can run the bus that has inmates off the road. I didn't realize how small the pods were. When I went into the pod, I was surprised because I thought it would of been a little bigger but it seemed kind of narrow. The trustees can get extra stuff. They can get extra mattresses, food trays, etc. The jail is a place for non-convicted offenders and it can kind of surprised me when they talked about how people will try to stay in longer because the longer a case goes on, the harder it is to solve. Things that can help solve the case can start to disappear as time goes on. -Soccer31007,711
Seeing the jail and having the opportunity to get insight on future job professions and what others go into was very interesting. I 100% agree with none of the staff having weapons. I think this decreases the intimidation and the power the officers might hold over the inmates. I also agree with treating everyone like people. The sheriff wants to maintain the idea of being humane and keeping everyone as happy as he can. Yes, they are in prison and they should be punished but there is a border that keeps from being acceptable like limiting their resources and making sure they have a controlled schedule compared to letting them do whatever. Having a more strict, day to day schedule opens doors for them to be more responsible and they can use this technique when and if they get out of jail to help them get back on the right track. If you have a planned out schedule it helps you stay out of trouble because you know what you should be doing instead of doing something you are not supposed to be doing. The officers have control and are in power of the inmates but it doesn’t mean that they should treat them inhumanely and that is exactly what the sheriff wants. But the inmates are also not your friends, you can't trust them and they will try and manipulate you the best they can in order to get whatever they need. I think that the education and the classes the inmates are offered are also interesting because they are faith based. This gives them something to either forward too, or it can also help them live a better life instead of making the wrong decisions. Church will also open doors for better friendships and people that are willing to help others in need. When inmates get out of jail and still continue to go to a church, not only can they meet new people and build better friendships, it could also lead to opportunities like a job to help them get on the right track so they don’t end up back in jail. They could get more involved in the community and help make a difference instead of committing crimes. I think the idea of having the visits like a skype call is very useful. It prevents people from escaping because they aren’t being transported. You don’t have to worry about visitors bringing stuff in that they shouldn’t and somehow give it to the inmates. And because all the calls are recorded, people won’t talk because they know they could get caught and get sentenced for even longer than expected. I also thought it was crazy how our jail population used to be in the 600’s and currently it is now at 273. This is a jurassic amount that has changed. This is a true statement that can prove that the crime rates are going down, even though people seem to believe that they are at an all time high. ProbdrinkingStar$’s711
The tour of the jail fro me yester was a great experience and a very BIG eye opening. It help me get a better version of understanding on how the jails are really ran and how and why the people in there get treated the way they do weather if its good or bad. You have to have VERY thick skin to work in a jail especially as a women. You have to leave all your personal problem at the door the minute you clock in because if you bring it inside the jail and start to work with inmates you'll nine times outta ten end up exploding and losing your job. The jail teaches more about COMMUNICATION. In criminal justice you won't get far if you don’t know how to communicate. Not all situation need to result in putting your hands on an inmate. If you have tough skin plus great communication skills then you'll last longer in criminal justice/corrections than others. The guard that was talking to us stated that she’s been there for 27 years and she’s been through situation she’ll never though she can handle and seen things she never thought shell ever see inmates do. Some of the things she said she had to deal with and handle was VERY disturbing. Onething she said that she had seen an inmate eat its own waist and she had to clean it up and handle the inmate with sh** all over their hands and face. She also stated she had urine thrown on her and other correction officers there. She stated it’s challenging dealing with rapist and murders. She started it’s people that come in that committed multiple murders and when she look into their eyes she sees absolutely nothing, nothing but a black to no soul. The sheriff mention that there are 60% of not bad paper just people that made bad choices and i to the most highest honor agree with him. I love hpoe the sheriff handle his job. He don’t treat the inmates like animals he treat them with respect because they are still human beans. He treat them with respect and dignity he gives them the medical attention they need and he also mentioned he lowered the number of prisoners since he's been sheriff which is REALLY good. He said when he first came their were nearly 600+ prisoners and now there are not even 300 prisoner in theri now. If that doesn’t open your eyes then i don’t know what is. It's clear that the sheriff doesn't look at what he do was just a job it’s more than that to him which is well respected and appreciated because most people get the title as a sheriff and that’s it they don’t hold no positive or true meaning to it.-KenzieLand711
part one: The jail was an extremely interesting experience. This was a really good way to get a taste of what a career in corrects is actually like. I was actually expected to see male officers more when we went through but we saw female officers which I think is really cool. First, we were shown the intake area which he explained pretty basically. People come in and they get searched, fingerprinted, etc. The Sheriff explained to us that they had the choice of having a blanket policy for strip search but they chose not to do it for the following reason: Blanket policy means everyone gets strip searched when they come in no matter what the circumstance was. He thinks of it from a realistic perspective. That would be like having a family member, weather it be daughter or sibling, having to be stripped down to check for anything they have on them. He treats everyone with dignity and respect. It also makes it easier for the officers and for the intake’s day. We are all human and we all like to preserve our dignity rather than having it thrown out the window by something as simple as a search. After talking about the blanket policy he talked about how mug shots are taken for the intakes as well as how the fingerprinting database works. He explained to us the the shots we see on tv was in the area right beside us and it's just like taking a picture for your driver’s license. Also, the fingerprinting system, though I already knew how it functioned it was interesting to hear again. The FBI and one other place has the fingerprint information from the Jail. It could take a day or two to get information from the closest database or up to 60 hours or more from the FBI for information. Finally, in the intake area he showed behind us where the higher profile inmates were and also the ones that are on suicide watch. If the card is red, they are on watch, if the card is white they are not. -tanlion_nala711
Part two: Next, we checked out the cell blocks. He told us that male inmates and female inmates are out of sight and out of sound to the best of their ability. Then, we looked at K, where the females stay. He took us to a Pod that housed no inmates so we could look around the area freely for the first few moments. There were two levels to the pod and tables so they could step outside of the pod and eat. There were a two spots, one on the upper and one on the lower, where an inmate could visit with their family or whoever came to visit them. The only time that they do not have a visit within the pod is when it is a professional, for example: with an attorney. Most that are in jail suffer from mental illness, most common he sees is depression which makes sense because if you are in jail, you should be depressed. Drug offenses, etc. Then we went to the control center above the pod.There we met two female officers who told us about the same that the Sheriff did but then got real when it came to how they treat the inmates. She said “You may think your mommy and daddy get on your nerves at home but once you are here we don’t care and you are going to wish that you had them.” Because all they have to do is make sure they are safe and treated with respect. They do understand that they are human but they also understand that they are there for some reason. They control the toilets, tv, phones, food, everything. If someone is there for a while they normally have 23 hours in the cell and 1 hour out of the cell. That one hour could be for walking, taking a shower, working out, etc. They decide if they come out of the cell or not. Let the list go on. They have to gain respect from the inmates while treating them with respect and dignity at the same time. -Tanlion_nala711
Part three: Finally, we went to the classroom. That room is also used to be a chapel as well. There we heard basically what the Sheriff came and told us earlier in the semester: He was in the army for 3 ½ years, in 95 he became a correctional officer. Then he told us about the four pillars: Patrol, Court Security, Bayliff, and Civil Process. He has 190 full-time officers, 50 correctional, 240 employees total and volunteers. The recruitment amount decreased because Ferguson has changed the perspective and perception of law enforcement. He explained to us that the Ferguson effect wasn’t because of the news hitting shooting. It was because of the officers that took care of the area. They were right out of school and not trained verbally or with what they needed. They were making bad decisions. There was also race involved. That fatal shot is what finally lit the final match in the box and erupted in the way that it should not have. He let us know that he makes most of his officers start in the jail. 90 percent of the job is oral/spoken and 10 percent is written. He gave us his three rules: Always be truthful, treat everyone with dignity and respect, and an honest day work is an honest day's pay. Finally, he let us know about the major causes of crime: treatable mental illness, poverty, and drug use. -Tanlion_nala711
The tour to the county jail wasn't what i thought it would be, maybe because i watch too much tv. The county jail was simple for the prisoners and a everyday life, i couldn't live in. I enjoyed how the officers don't try to treat the prisoners like they are animals no matter what violent or unhuman crimes they did. The officers are completely in control of what all the inmates do and what all the inmates have. I like that the offieces understand that they are humans in will not try to make them feel less of one. The county was set up to protect and keep the inmates safe from each other, which is good because they don't want any inmates hurt on their watch. Protective custody is also available to the ones who need it. The jail has suicide watch also, even thought they are adults they still sometimes need help. Many of the inmatesin the county jail has mental illness, mostly depression because they lose their freedom, they lose the rights they normally have. Rights of tv, to be able to shpwer whenever the want for however long they want, eat when they want and what ever kind of food they want. The tour showed me how they live in the jail and what they have there. Depending on the behavior the inmates gives out, depends on what they get in return. And i believe thats fair enough. -LLTS78
Taking the tour was I very eye opening experience for me. One of the things that the sheriff told us was that most of this job is being about to speak with people and being able to defuse situations. He also said how you have to have a very strong mind to be in this profession. Doing this job you are going to called every name you can think of and see things that no one should ever see. Do work this job you have to be able to tune that stuff out and not let it effect you or being that home with you. He also told us how he has about 3 rules. Those rules are never lie, treat everyone with dignity and respect, and do an honest days work. This was my first time ever walking through a jail. One thing that I really enjoyed he how much he cares about how his officer treating the inmates with dignity and respect. The next thing that I liked about the tour is how the jail has 24 hour medical personnel at the jail. I think have that 24 hour medical staff shows how much he cares about the inmates. He told us by adding that to the jail it costed him about 1.3 million dollars. It shows that it's not about the money for him and that he really cares about the inmates to help them be better. He took us to a empty pod where the inmates would stay. He let us walk around and view the cells. He told us how prisoners could spend up to 3 years in that pod. He told us how they would have to do everything in that one pod from eating to working out in that pod. He took us upstairs where he should us the female pods. They told us how they literally control everything that inmates can do from when they can leave their cell to when they can even use the bathroom. The tour was a great experience I'm very glad that I went. It showed me a little bit about how things go inside of a jail and the thing that need to be done in order to be great in this profession. Hoop007
Even though this was my second time on this jail tour It still opened my eyes to many new things that I did not know about. First thing that really stuck to me was that the sheriff is really trying to make a change within police officers or how the community portrays them. He kept pointing out that most of these police officers that we see in the news that were involved in a shooting are unprepared or not taught the correct way when they enter the criminal justice system. Most people in the criminal justice system believe incarceration so that is what they teach to this up and coming officers. That is what the sheriff is trying to change he wants everyone to see that incarceration is not the way to go with most people put into the system. He would rather see them rehabilitated. How are you going to incarcerate a person that has a severe mental illness that may have not been diagnosed at this point? How is locking them up and throwing away the key going to help them at all? This is one thing that really stuck out to me when he was talking to us. He mentioned that 60% of the people in the jail are not bad people and yes the other 40% should be in the jail. I would have to believe in that a 100%. Most people nowadays are locked up for minor petty crimes that should rather be rehabilitated and move on back into society. Another big thing that stuck with me is that this job is built on a lot of trust and truthfulness. It is a big key to being a good police officer. If your lying on the job he has no problem with firing you, which is amazing. If you can't trust the officer next to you how are you going to do your job well? Your not and you will be more likely to be sucked in with their lies as well. That really stuck with me because you really are one big family in there and you have to stay stick with each other until you leave. Now actually looking throughout the jail it is obviously very different than the outside world. As one of the female officers was talking to us she mentioned that they control every movement or thing they do. Which in all reality is scary your freedom and privileges are stopped because of the mistake you did. Which in all truthfully might be just what some people need. -hollywood007
The visit to the Peoria County Jail was very enjoyable. I learned many things that I did not know about before the visit. The first thing I learned is that the sheriff wants to see a day when there is no inmates present in the jail and it has to be closed. The sheriff mentioned during the tour that he “hopes to come in to work one day and has no inmates to watch over, so the jail has to be shut down”. This is an amazing statement, as despite this being his job, the sheriff knows that the jail is not always the most fun place to be. Another thing I learned is mental health care is available to inmates either nearly all of the time or all of the time. Nearly 80% of the people in jail has some form of mental illness. With this type of health care available, inmates now have an even bigger chance at recovering and going back into society fully rehabilitated. A third thing I learned is the Peoria County Jail is huge on dignity and respect. Yes, the inmates there may have committed some horrible offenses. However, they are still people and deserve these two things. Generally, most people think of guards at the prison degrading the inmates and not showing them a whole lot of respect. But in Peoria’ jail, all of the guards treat each and every inmate with full respect and dignity, which makes the jail a better place overall. A fourth thing I learned is trust is a giant factor in any job related to criminal justice. Each person involved with this system has to have trust in everyone else that what happens in a situation is explained in truth to the fullest, every incident is truthfully explained, all the paperwork is correct, so on and so on. If you even make the smallest lie within this field, it could not only jeopardize your job, it could also hurt other people and possibly completely ruin others. A final thing I learned is rehabilitation is a major focus at the Peoria County Jail. In most places where people are incarcerated, officers only know how to incarcerate and nothing else. However, the sheriff ensures that rehab is a giant part of a jail/prisons and incarceration should not be the main focus. By focusing on rehabilitation, the chances of prisoners being fully fixed and then released back into society greatly increase. -Fozz007
This is my second time going to the peoria county jail and I still very much enjoyed going because I think it is a great educational experience. There were definitely some things we saw and heard the share of talk about that we have already learned in class which is very cool to see that what we are learning in the classroom truly can carry over into real life and possibly help us in our careers. One of the first things that I was able to compare was that 1 in 5 of those incarcerated were because of drug charges. The sheriff also made a point to say that he gets a lot of drug related inmates in his jail. This goes with the first thing as well because the sheriff also told us that most of them will end up out of the jail before they even have the paperwork done for the person in question. Also I just found it interesting that when they are taking inmates they do not do a full strip search even though they have every right to. It is good to hear that the Sheriff does not make every new inmate go through that and that really goes along with him trying to treat everybody dignity they deserve. That leads me into another thing that I can correlate with what we talked about in class. If you treat the inmates with dignity and respect and even give them tools they need to succeed when they get out or incentive programs it will help keep the fights to a minimum. That was one of the biggest things that stood out to me because we have been talking about that and it’s been in all of our videos about jails and prisons and that was one of his philosophy’s too. The third thing that was comparable was the fact that local jails hold 1 out of every three incarcerated people in the United States today. The sheriff told us that he hold regular local inmates along with inmate from other counties and states, while also holding federal inmates for prisons as well. This was also talked about in class as local jails are used as a sort of midway point and temporary holding points for federal prisoners. The fourth thing I saw that was comparable to what we have learned about was that people in jail are normally 16 to 24 years of age and they have been incarcerated for nonviolent offenses like drug charges. And that is exactly what the sheriff said at the end when we’re asking him about the demographics of jail. -RHB007
This is my second time going out to Peoria County Jail for a jail tour. And as I went again, I’ve learned a few more things. Jail is not the place where somebody wants to be. When we first got in the building, the sheriff showed us the steps they go through when someone gets arrested and placed in the county. He told us a story of how people have died in the holding cell, once that a male swallowed a bag of cocaine and automatically died of an overdose. I feel as if you want to work in that type of place you have to be mentally stable because you’re going to see things you’ll have to live with forever. The sheriff showed us the inside of the cells and how they work when you’re inside of it and if you’re a person that can’t handle being locked in small spaces, then being inside that cell would not work well with you. The prisoners get phone calls while they’re inside the cell, but all the calls are recorded and everything you say on that phone gets documented. Prisoners cannot leave their block unless it’s a medical emergency. They must get their meal through a box and that’s how they eat. And for female officers, they have to strong enough to work in the facility, because the inmates will try to play mind games with you and you have to think things through with them. Officers control everything of the inmates, as of their cells, lights, TV, bathroom, when to get up, when to go to bed, and they control them. You have to know how to deal with the inmates because you’ll never know what can happen to you on your shift. The lady officer who told us she’s been working at the county for 27 years said she seen things that she wish she can unsee, she also said many things have happened to her. Inmates threw their pee on her and her inmates tried to throw their booboo on her. You have to have a strong mind and a strong mentality to work in the jail, because you have to keep your work life separate from your personal life. The sheriff also told us that 60% aren’t bad people they just made some bad mistakes, while the other 40% deserve to stay in jail. Most of the inmates have some type of mental illness and they have a 24 hour nurse to take care of that. -dbaby007
The jail tour was and very interesting, and a great experience. It really showed me that everyone has to start somewhere, in the law enforcement field. I think it's a very good policy, that most police departments are starting to only hire people with jail experience. And it shows that it is working just like the Sheriff said he is down 13 people in the jail, because other agencies hired them on. Just like Sheriff Asbell who started at the jail, and worked his way to the top. I also thought it was very interesting how much the Sheriff cut back the jail population by over half. It's amazing on what he has done, and the polices the Sheriff Asbell has put in place to influence this change in population. It also showed me that I do not want to have a career as a corrections officer. Some of the stories corrections officer told the group were just crazy. She told us a story of when a murderer first came into the jail, she looked into his eyes and there was nothing there, no feelings or emotion. It's crazy to think of the kind of people you deal with while working in a jail. Corrections officers literally deal with all of the psychopaths, killers, arsonist. Now me saying that I do not want to spend a career in corrections, doesn't mean I don't want to be a corrections officer. I would love to start in a jail so I can get that experience, and the knowledge of how inmates act, talk, and react to my actions. I think all that experience is one of the best tools to have. Also this tour gave me a better understanding of how the jail works and functions. I learned the rules implemented on the inmates, I learned what the inmates can and can't do, while incarcerated. Going into the tour, I knew that correction officers complete control over inmates, but some things that corrections officers could do was shocking. Like how the correction officers could go behind the cells, and look into the inmates cell to see what they were doing. They can turn the water on and off, to ensure no one flushes any contraband down the toilet. It also surprised me that 80 percent of the Sheriff's budget goes to the jail, that surprised me a lot. I think the jail tour is a great thing, and should be continued in future years. I-Like-Cereal-711
Peoria County Sheriff Asbell did an excellent job giving us a tour around the jail. He explained to us the key components of what he has done to keep the jail a more safe place, also his goals for the workers and inmates. I personally like how he has applied all these rules for the workers but he himself is following them. For example, how he doesn’t bring his gun into the facility. One more thing that I also liked was how he told us that the inmates are humans and he didn’t want us going into the jail looking as if it were a zoo. Everyone is treated with respect and dignity because they are still humans that have made mistakes. Some of the accomplishments made were closing some sections down because the population in the has decreased. He mentioned that they are about 300 inmates I believe, which is half of what there was when he started as sheriff. There are less than 40 women incarcerated, which is something that states in statistics. We were shown the cells and they are even smaller from the first time I went on another tour. I can't imagine the thought process a person would have being in there 24/7. Which explains why inmates have problems with each other like Sheriff Asbell mentioned. They have to live with each other and if there is any type of violence that gets out of controlled, they are housed separately. Even, if they go to church they have to go at separate times. When we first walked into the facility there were specrate rooms next to where you get booked. Those were the room for their high risk offenders and ones that were on suicide watch. If someone is on suicide watch, they have to be checked on every 15 mins and there is a red paper letting them know that there is someone being watched. Asbell also mentioned that if we wanted to be deputies for the department that we had to work at the jail first. I think that is very important and smart because before going off to the streets and given a gun, they should know how to talk to people. Lastly, the most meaningful comment he made that was his goal was slowly rehabilitating people back to their homes so there would have to be a jail in Peoria. That is something that I find amazing for a sheriff to say because it shows that the job isn’t about locking people up every second they make a mistake, but helping learn to not make them again. taco007
One thing that Sheriff Asbell said, was that his one of his goals as sheriff is to do his best to help contribute to the closing of the jail. In terms, of helping inmates get the proper help that they need to stay out of jail. Jails will always be funded, but it only makes sense to help enough people. Reducing the urge to commit crimes creating repeat visits to jail. Sheriff Asbell, mentioned he has reduced the jail population by 50% during his time working at the jail and as sheriff. Obviously, reduction of certain crimes to simple misdemeanors or even fines or tickets, has helped reduce the number of people locked up for crimes.
I like how the jail and the Sheriff's office utilize the phone and video visit recordings. They can get intelligence from both of those to open up new cases or even solve, for example multiple homicide cases. It is always smart to utilize tools that will help solve crimes. The thing to remember is that it takes a lot of patients. People who commit crimes and are in jail , either are smart or aren't when they use the phones or have video visits.
I was surprised to learn that the medical care requirements for county jails were so basic, and in a sense almost bare minimum. Counties, such as Lacon, Sheriff Asbell mentioned, did not have full-time medical staff at their county jail. Our county jail, has a full time 24 hour medical assistance available. Not just in terms of physical help, but in addition, mental health assistance is also available. In this Aspect, while people are at the jail, they should try to have both sound mind and body. Because that helps to deal with what goes on inside jails.
Lastly, I believe that Brian Asbell is doing as much as he can with what he has. He is not only responsible for the safety of the staff, and inmates at the county jail, but also for his deputies on patrol, or those who provide security at the county courthouse, which includes transporting inmates to court. I pay taxes, my taxes go towards paying for the jail, and those that work in local law enforcement. It was good to see where some of my money goes. The more money that can be saved, can then be re-invested to help contribute to closing down the county jail. --YouMustAcquit007--
Before I took the jail tour, I had no real expectations of what it would be like. I lacked the necessary information to create my own opinion. After the tour I thought the jail was clean and well maintained. The staff and officers seemed to enjoy the work environment. The Sheriff encouraged the people in the tour to apply for a correctional officer’s position within the jail. He greatly advocated that a career as a correctional officer would be rewarding both in financial stability and for personal growth. The jail has recently lost a few employees due to other counties hiring them for patrol officers. So, the Sheriff is trying to find trust worthy recruits to fill the vacant positions. The jail population has been drastically reduced in size due to the hard work and determination of the Sheriff. They currently house less than 300 inmates, less than 50 of the inmates are women. The jail has the space to house around 600 inmates. Before the Sheriff took his current position, the jail population was extremely high; higher than what it is today. The Sheriff has spent vast amounts of time and resources to enable the jail to become accredited. This means the jail has higher standards than what the state or government requires. It takes more money to be “better than average” but in the long term the jail saves money as there are less suing from the inmates. This mind set is greatly beneficial as it increases living standards within the in the jail. The sheriff was also able to cut the cost of housing for inmates. Currently, the cost is around 80 dollars a day for each person. I am surprised the amount isn’t more than 80 dollars per day. Food, utilities and other costs I would have assumed it would have exceeded the daily cost of more than 80 dollars a day. Thus, I applaud the efforts that went into obtaining such a low cost, I am truly impressed. I noticed many things while on the jail tour itself. It was said, there is no master key into or out of the jail; of course, this is all for safety. The control room within the jail opened all the major doors. I find this to be wise as there is less of a risk that an inmate escapes from the jail. I hadn’t thought of the jail not having a master key, but it makes sense why they don’t have one. -CoalRoller711
Going through the jail with Sheriff Asbell was something else. It was eye opening and very moving. I was very moved to hear that Sheriff Asbell’s goal as Sheriff was to shut down the jail. The most important thing I took away from the tour is his three rules to work at the jail. I believe his three rules are something that needs to be spread out all over the criminal justice system. It was crazy to hear that the jail can hold up to over 600 people and that Sherriff as bell has cut down the populace to less than half. With most of the populace only being male and only 30 female inmates. His purpose as sheriff is working for the long run to get these people the help they need. With the help they are getting from Sheriff Asbell and his team, the inmates are bound to become fully refunctioning members of society again. After getting to see how the cells work and how the inmates are separated. It was crazy to see how the small cells worked. The one toilet and then share the showers. I was not expecting to see how that worked. It was awesome however to be given insight from Sheriff Asbell’s work ethic and how is formula to getting things done. To hear that the jail does have a mental health program it is nice to see that things around here are getting done the right way. To see that it is working due to the evidence he showed with the decrease of the jails population it goes to show it does in fact work. If given the chance to work with the Sheriff even starting at a Correctional officer, it would be a chance not to pass up. One of his three rules to work by I see the most of is just give and honest days work. I follow that at my current job because it something I love to do. When a job is something you love to do it doesn’t feel like a job and things are so much easier no matter how tough things get. Given more enlightenment from Sheriff Asbell working at the jail would probably be the best thing with his guidance. It comes to show that when the job is political go in with discretions and sway away from the political side and care about those in the community. Taking care of those in the community affects your job in the long term when it comes to building repour with those who end up under your care. -Rollforinitiative711
For me, taking the tour of the Peoria County Jail was definitely a reality check. Ever since I was a little kid, I’ve always known that what I wanted to do was something in the profession of law enforcement. However, I had plans of possibly going to a maximum or high security prison across the country once I finished my schooling next year, and may have changed my mind on that after our tour. What made me rethink the fact that I don’t really want to work at such a high-risk correctional facility was when our portion of the group was up in the “guard tower” that overlooks the cell block we went into. The guard that was talking to us said she had been there for 27 years and had seen some things and had things done to her that no one should ever really have to go through. Some of the things she said that were definitely nasty, but not really what affected my mentality of it all, were that she had seen some inmates eat their own feces and she would have to sometimes clean it up afterward, or that she had either had feces or urine thrown on her, or to other correctional officers there, as well as the fact that she said some of these inmates truly weren’t right in the head or were going through some kind of serious withdrawal from either alcohol or some sort of drug and were extremely uncontrollable. She also made mention of the fact that some of the “crazy” people they bring in truly are sort of “super-humans,” in the sense that they do have abnormal strength. She said no matter what you can bench press, you really don’t hardly stand a chance at controlling somebody like this by yourself, so the best thing to do is to immediately radio for backup. What she did say that kind of was a reality check for me was when she made mention of having to deal with murders and rapists that had committed pretty much the highest tiers of crimes and having to look into their eyes. She said there was once a gentleman that came into their facility awaiting trial for multiple murders, and when she looked into his eyes… there was absolutely nothing there. She said it was like she could see into his soul and there was nothing there. She said it was the most eerie feeling she’s ever had from working there and that she refused to touch him while he was in the Peoria County Jail. She made mention of when she looked into his eyes, you could actually see that something was truly wrong with this man- he was an actual psychopath- someone who deserved to be in the jail, or 6 feet under it, for the rest of his life. Hearing this encounter from her really made me think about what I wanted to do with my future. I no longer desire to start off in a high security correctional facility simply because my mindset on the matter is that I would rather risk my life out on the streets to get the dangerous people not in jail or prison already, out off the streets so they can’t harm anymore civilians. For me, I know regardless of the level of security facility you work in, there will be risk, but I would rather work in a minimum or medium security level facility and not have to be around as many of these psychopaths, because there is absolutely nothing stopping them from trying to take your life as well being as they have nothing to lose. I know somebody has to do these jobs, I just don’t think that that level of correctional based job is for me, and I think I’m meant to be out on the streets getting those psychopaths off the street before they can harm anyone else in the outside world. GMan219711
ReplyDeleteGoing to the jail yesterday was a great experience. It helped further my understanding on how the jail runs. There are so many sights and smells when you first walk into booking, it is overwhelming at first. He first talk about how many people are in the jail right now, I believe he said 237 inmates 30 of them being female. When he was talking about the jail population he said that he cut the population in half saving the jail millions of dollars in the process. I think he said it cost $80.37 a day to house an inmate in the jail. That is a lot of money when you have nearly 300 inmates much less 600. I like that he does not have a blanket search policy. He talked about how if he would have it, he would have to search everyone and he does not like that. He gave the example of what if your daughter got a traffic ticket before she went back to school, she forgot to pay it and got a warrant on her. She is picked up and sent to county. She does not need to be stripped search, all she did was forgot to pay her ticket. With the blanket search policy she would have to be stripped search and the sheriff does not want to do that to a low level offender. One of the first thing that caught my attention of how horrible jail can be is how far people will go not to be caught with drugs. The one story that the sheriff talk about when the kid in booking swallowed crack cocaine so he wouldn’t be caught with it. The kid would overdose and died before he hit the ground. It is sad that he would go that far not to be caught with the crack cocaine. Another thing that I found interesting is that they do not use the outside yard anymore. For safety reasons they stop letting inmates out there. It cause too many problems of contraband being brought into the jail. The sheriff talked about the phones that he had placed into the blocks being a nice addition, because it helped him solve a couple of murders. He talked about how the inmates would use the phone to call a friend to get rid of the gun. It is all recorded so all the sheriff would have to do is make a copy and send it to the prosecutor. What is also cool is the Correctional Officers have complete control over the inmates cells. They can control the water in the cell, the lights, if you get to use the bathroom in your cell, and more. It crazy how much they can do in just one spot of the jail. -ClarkKent007,711
ReplyDeleteI thought there was a lot of interesting that were discussed. I learned that here use to be around six hundred people in jail and now they have around two hundred people. That’s a very big drop. I thought it was interesting when they were talking about strip searches. Dignity is a very important value and you don't want to take away someone’s dignity. They don't do strip searches unless there is suspicion that the person has a weapon or drugs or they might have a reasonable suspicion that the person is dangerous. I think that’s a great idea because if someone misses a court date for something small and they a warrant, they shouldn't have to have the strip search. I didn’t realize how much control correctional officers have. The correctional officer that is in charge of the pod has power over everything. They have power to the showers, tv, lights, etc. They have power to shut those off or turn them on. I thought it was interesting that they were able to solve a case through phone records that came from the prison. I thought it was interesting when the discussed about how they handle people on suicide watch. They check on the person every fifteen minutes. They also have a chair that either has soft restraints or hard restraints. If the person sits there for too long, the have a risk for blood clots so the staff tries to get them up and moving every hour to prevent that. I thought that the fingerprints were able to identity someone immediately but it doesn't. They talked about transporting inmates and I didn't realize how dangerous it was. You have to get them out of their room and get them into a vehicle that has bars on the outside. They said they don’t take the same route twice. People aren't going to try and break someone out of the building but there is a chance a person can run the bus that has inmates off the road. I didn't realize how small the pods were. When I went into the pod, I was surprised because I thought it would of been a little bigger but it seemed kind of narrow. The trustees can get extra stuff. They can get extra mattresses, food trays, etc. The jail is a place for non-convicted offenders and it can kind of surprised me when they talked about how people will try to stay in longer because the longer a case goes on, the harder it is to solve. Things that can help solve the case can start to disappear as time goes on. -Soccer31007,711
ReplyDeleteSeeing the jail and having the opportunity to get insight on future job professions and what others go into was very interesting. I 100% agree with none of the staff having weapons. I think this decreases the intimidation and the power the officers might hold over the inmates. I also agree with treating everyone like people. The sheriff wants to maintain the idea of being humane and keeping everyone as happy as he can. Yes, they are in prison and they should be punished but there is a border that keeps from being acceptable like limiting their resources and making sure they have a controlled schedule compared to letting them do whatever. Having a more strict, day to day schedule opens doors for them to be more responsible and they can use this technique when and if they get out of jail to help them get back on the right track. If you have a planned out schedule it helps you stay out of trouble because you know what you should be doing instead of doing something you are not supposed to be doing. The officers have control and are in power of the inmates but it doesn’t mean that they should treat them inhumanely and that is exactly what the sheriff wants. But the inmates are also not your friends, you can't trust them and they will try and manipulate you the best they can in order to get whatever they need. I think that the education and the classes the inmates are offered are also interesting because they are faith based. This gives them something to either forward too, or it can also help them live a better life instead of making the wrong decisions. Church will also open doors for better friendships and people that are willing to help others in need. When inmates get out of jail and still continue to go to a church, not only can they meet new people and build better friendships, it could also lead to opportunities like a job to help them get on the right track so they don’t end up back in jail. They could get more involved in the community and help make a difference instead of committing crimes. I think the idea of having the visits like a skype call is very useful. It prevents people from escaping because they aren’t being transported. You don’t have to worry about visitors bringing stuff in that they shouldn’t and somehow give it to the inmates. And because all the calls are recorded, people won’t talk because they know they could get caught and get sentenced for even longer than expected. I also thought it was crazy how our jail population used to be in the 600’s and currently it is now at 273. This is a jurassic amount that has changed. This is a true statement that can prove that the crime rates are going down, even though people seem to believe that they are at an all time high. ProbdrinkingStar$’s711
ReplyDeleteThe tour of the jail fro me yester was a great experience and a very BIG eye opening. It help me get a better version of understanding on how the jails are really ran and how and why the people in there get treated the way they do weather if its good or bad. You have to have VERY thick skin to work in a jail especially as a women. You have to leave all your personal problem at the door the minute you clock in because if you bring it inside the jail and start to work with inmates you'll nine times outta ten end up exploding and losing your job. The jail teaches more about COMMUNICATION. In criminal justice you won't get far if you don’t know how to communicate. Not all situation need to result in putting your hands on an inmate. If you have tough skin plus great communication skills then you'll last longer in criminal justice/corrections than others. The guard that was talking to us stated that she’s been there for 27 years and she’s been through situation she’ll never though she can handle and seen things she never thought shell ever see inmates do. Some of the things she said she had to deal with and handle was VERY disturbing. Onething she said that she had seen an inmate eat its own waist and she had to clean it up and handle the inmate with sh** all over their hands and face. She also stated she had urine thrown on her and other correction officers there. She stated it’s challenging dealing with rapist and murders. She started it’s people that come in that committed multiple murders and when she look into their eyes she sees absolutely nothing, nothing but a black to no soul. The sheriff mention that there are 60% of not bad paper just people that made bad choices and i to the most highest honor agree with him. I love hpoe the sheriff handle his job. He don’t treat the inmates like animals he treat them with respect because they are still human beans. He treat them with respect and dignity he gives them the medical attention they need and he also mentioned he lowered the number of prisoners since he's been sheriff which is REALLY good. He said when he first came their were nearly 600+ prisoners and now there are not even 300 prisoner in theri now. If that doesn’t open your eyes then i don’t know what is. It's clear that the sheriff doesn't look at what he do was just a job it’s more than that to him which is well respected and appreciated because most people get the title as a sheriff and that’s it they don’t hold no positive or true meaning to it.-KenzieLand711
ReplyDeletepart one: The jail was an extremely interesting experience. This was a really good way to get a taste of what a career in corrects is actually like. I was actually expected to see male officers more when we went through but we saw female officers which I think is really cool. First, we were shown the intake area which he explained pretty basically. People come in and they get searched, fingerprinted, etc. The Sheriff explained to us that they had the choice of having a blanket policy for strip search but they chose not to do it for the following reason: Blanket policy means everyone gets strip searched when they come in no matter what the circumstance was. He thinks of it from a realistic perspective. That would be like having a family member, weather it be daughter or sibling, having to be stripped down to check for anything they have on them. He treats everyone with dignity and respect. It also makes it easier for the officers and for the intake’s day. We are all human and we all like to preserve our dignity rather than having it thrown out the window by something as simple as a search. After talking about the blanket policy he talked about how mug shots are taken for the intakes as well as how the fingerprinting database works. He explained to us the the shots we see on tv was in the area right beside us and it's just like taking a picture for your driver’s license. Also, the fingerprinting system, though I already knew how it functioned it was interesting to hear again. The FBI and one other place has the fingerprint information from the Jail. It could take a day or two to get information from the closest database or up to 60 hours or more from the FBI for information. Finally, in the intake area he showed behind us where the higher profile inmates were and also the ones that are on suicide watch. If the card is red, they are on watch, if the card is white they are not. -tanlion_nala711
ReplyDeletePart two: Next, we checked out the cell blocks. He told us that male inmates and female inmates are out of sight and out of sound to the best of their ability. Then, we looked at K, where the females stay. He took us to a Pod that housed no inmates so we could look around the area freely for the first few moments. There were two levels to the pod and tables so they could step outside of the pod and eat. There were a two spots, one on the upper and one on the lower, where an inmate could visit with their family or whoever came to visit them. The only time that they do not have a visit within the pod is when it is a professional, for example: with an attorney. Most that are in jail suffer from mental illness, most common he sees is depression which makes sense because if you are in jail, you should be depressed. Drug offenses, etc. Then we went to the control center above the pod.There we met two female officers who told us about the same that the Sheriff did but then got real when it came to how they treat the inmates. She said “You may think your mommy and daddy get on your nerves at home but once you are here we don’t care and you are going to wish that you had them.” Because all they have to do is make sure they are safe and treated with respect. They do understand that they are human but they also understand that they are there for some reason. They control the toilets, tv, phones, food, everything. If someone is there for a while they normally have 23 hours in the cell and 1 hour out of the cell. That one hour could be for walking, taking a shower, working out, etc. They decide if they come out of the cell or not. Let the list go on. They have to gain respect from the inmates while treating them with respect and dignity at the same time. -Tanlion_nala711
ReplyDeletePart three: Finally, we went to the classroom. That room is also used to be a chapel as well. There we heard basically what the Sheriff came and told us earlier in the semester: He was in the army for 3 ½ years, in 95 he became a correctional officer. Then he told us about the four pillars: Patrol, Court Security, Bayliff, and Civil Process. He has 190 full-time officers, 50 correctional, 240 employees total and volunteers. The recruitment amount decreased because Ferguson has changed the perspective and perception of law enforcement. He explained to us that the Ferguson effect wasn’t because of the news hitting shooting. It was because of the officers that took care of the area. They were right out of school and not trained verbally or with what they needed. They were making bad decisions. There was also race involved. That fatal shot is what finally lit the final match in the box and erupted in the way that it should not have. He let us know that he makes most of his officers start in the jail. 90 percent of the job is oral/spoken and 10 percent is written. He gave us his three rules: Always be truthful, treat everyone with dignity and respect, and an honest day work is an honest day's pay. Finally, he let us know about the major causes of crime: treatable mental illness, poverty, and drug use. -Tanlion_nala711
ReplyDeleteThe tour to the county jail wasn't what i thought it would be, maybe because i watch too much tv. The county jail was simple for the prisoners and a everyday life, i couldn't live in. I enjoyed how the officers don't try to treat the prisoners like they are animals no matter what violent or unhuman crimes they did. The officers are completely in control of what all the inmates do and what all the inmates have. I like that the offieces understand that they are humans in will not try to make them feel less of one. The county was set up to protect and keep the inmates safe from each other, which is good because they don't want any inmates hurt on their watch. Protective custody is also available to the ones who need it. The jail has suicide watch also, even thought they are adults they still sometimes need help. Many of the inmatesin the county jail has mental illness, mostly depression because they lose their freedom, they lose the rights they normally have. Rights of tv, to be able to shpwer whenever the want for however long they want, eat when they want and what ever kind of food they want. The tour showed me how they live in the jail and what they have there. Depending on the behavior the inmates gives out, depends on what they get in return. And i believe thats fair enough.
ReplyDelete-LLTS78
Taking the tour was I very eye opening experience for me. One of the things that the sheriff told us was that most of this job is being about to speak with people and being able to defuse situations. He also said how you have to have a very strong mind to be in this profession. Doing this job you are going to called every name you can think of and see things that no one should ever see. Do work this job you have to be able to tune that stuff out and not let it effect you or being that home with you. He also told us how he has about 3 rules. Those rules are never lie, treat everyone with dignity and respect, and do an honest days work. This was my first time ever walking through a jail. One thing that I really enjoyed he how much he cares about how his officer treating the inmates with dignity and respect. The next thing that I liked about the tour is how the jail has 24 hour medical personnel at the jail. I think have that 24 hour medical staff shows how much he cares about the inmates. He told us by adding that to the jail it costed him about 1.3 million dollars. It shows that it's not about the money for him and that he really cares about the inmates to help them be better. He took us to a empty pod where the inmates would stay. He let us walk around and view the cells. He told us how prisoners could spend up to 3 years in that pod. He told us how they would have to do everything in that one pod from eating to working out in that pod. He took us upstairs where he should us the female pods. They told us how they literally control everything that inmates can do from when they can leave their cell to when they can even use the bathroom. The tour was a great experience I'm very glad that I went. It showed me a little bit about how things go inside of a jail and the thing that need to be done in order to be great in this profession.
ReplyDeleteHoop007
Even though this was my second time on this jail tour It still opened my eyes to many new things that I did not know about. First thing that really stuck to me was that the sheriff is really trying to make a change within police officers or how the community portrays them. He kept pointing out that most of these police officers that we see in the news that were involved in a shooting are unprepared or not taught the correct way when they enter the criminal justice system. Most people in the criminal justice system believe incarceration so that is what they teach to this up and coming officers. That is what the sheriff is trying to change he wants everyone to see that incarceration is not the way to go with most people put into the system. He would rather see them rehabilitated. How are you going to incarcerate a person that has a severe mental illness that may have not been diagnosed at this point? How is locking them up and throwing away the key going to help them at all? This is one thing that really stuck out to me when he was talking to us. He mentioned that 60% of the people in the jail are not bad people and yes the other 40% should be in the jail. I would have to believe in that a 100%. Most people nowadays are locked up for minor petty crimes that should rather be rehabilitated and move on back into society. Another big thing that stuck with me is that this job is built on a lot of trust and truthfulness. It is a big key to being a good police officer. If your lying on the job he has no problem with firing you, which is amazing. If you can't trust the officer next to you how are you going to do your job well? Your not and you will be more likely to be sucked in with their lies as well. That really stuck with me because you really are one big family in there and you have to stay stick with each other until you leave. Now actually looking throughout the jail it is obviously very different than the outside world. As one of the female officers was talking to us she mentioned that they control every movement or thing they do. Which in all reality is scary your freedom and privileges are stopped because of the mistake you did. Which in all truthfully might be just what some people need.
ReplyDelete-hollywood007
The visit to the Peoria County Jail was very enjoyable. I learned many things that I did not know about before the visit. The first thing I learned is that the sheriff wants to see a day when there is no inmates present in the jail and it has to be closed. The sheriff mentioned during the tour that he “hopes to come in to work one day and has no inmates to watch over, so the jail has to be shut down”. This is an amazing statement, as despite this being his job, the sheriff knows that the jail is not always the most fun place to be. Another thing I learned is mental health care is available to inmates either nearly all of the time or all of the time. Nearly 80% of the people in jail has some form of mental illness. With this type of health care available, inmates now have an even bigger chance at recovering and going back into society fully rehabilitated. A third thing I learned is the Peoria County Jail is huge on dignity and respect. Yes, the inmates there may have committed some horrible offenses. However, they are still people and deserve these two things. Generally, most people think of guards at the prison degrading the inmates and not showing them a whole lot of respect. But in Peoria’ jail, all of the guards treat each and every inmate with full respect and dignity, which makes the jail a better place overall. A fourth thing I learned is trust is a giant factor in any job related to criminal justice. Each person involved with this system has to have trust in everyone else that what happens in a situation is explained in truth to the fullest, every incident is truthfully explained, all the paperwork is correct, so on and so on. If you even make the smallest lie within this field, it could not only jeopardize your job, it could also hurt other people and possibly completely ruin others. A final thing I learned is rehabilitation is a major focus at the Peoria County Jail. In most places where people are incarcerated, officers only know how to incarcerate and nothing else. However, the sheriff ensures that rehab is a giant part of a jail/prisons and incarceration should not be the main focus. By focusing on rehabilitation, the chances of prisoners being fully fixed and then released back into society greatly increase.
ReplyDelete-Fozz007
This is my second time going to the peoria county jail and I still very much enjoyed going because I think it is a great educational experience. There were definitely some things we saw and heard the share of talk about that we have already learned in class which is very cool to see that what we are learning in the classroom truly can carry over into real life and possibly help us in our careers. One of the first things that I was able to compare was that 1 in 5 of those incarcerated were because of drug charges. The sheriff also made a point to say that he gets a lot of drug related inmates in his jail. This goes with the first thing as well because the sheriff also told us that most of them will end up out of the jail before they even have the paperwork done for the person in question. Also I just found it interesting that when they are taking inmates they do not do a full strip search even though they have every right to. It is good to hear that the Sheriff does not make every new inmate go through that and that really goes along with him trying to treat everybody dignity they deserve. That leads me into another thing that I can correlate with what we talked about in class. If you treat the inmates with dignity and respect and even give them tools they need to succeed when they get out or incentive programs it will help keep the fights to a minimum. That was one of the biggest things that stood out to me because we have been talking about that and it’s been in all of our videos about jails and prisons and that was one of his philosophy’s too. The third thing that was comparable was the fact that local jails hold 1 out of every three incarcerated people in the United States today. The sheriff told us that he hold regular local inmates along with inmate from other counties and states, while also holding federal inmates for prisons as well. This was also talked about in class as local jails are used as a sort of midway point and temporary holding points for federal prisoners. The fourth thing I saw that was comparable to what we have learned about was that people in jail are normally 16 to 24 years of age and they have been incarcerated for nonviolent offenses like drug charges. And that is exactly what the sheriff said at the end when we’re asking him about the demographics of jail.
ReplyDelete-RHB007
This is my second time going out to Peoria County Jail for a jail tour. And as I went again, I’ve learned a few more things. Jail is not the place where somebody wants to be. When we first got in the building, the sheriff showed us the steps they go through when someone gets arrested and placed in the county. He told us a story of how people have died in the holding cell, once that a male swallowed a bag of cocaine and automatically died of an overdose. I feel as if you want to work in that type of place you have to be mentally stable because you’re going to see things you’ll have to live with forever. The sheriff showed us the inside of the cells and how they work when you’re inside of it and if you’re a person that can’t handle being locked in small spaces, then being inside that cell would not work well with you. The prisoners get phone calls while they’re inside the cell, but all the calls are recorded and everything you say on that phone gets documented. Prisoners cannot leave their block unless it’s a medical emergency. They must get their meal through a box and that’s how they eat. And for female officers, they have to strong enough to work in the facility, because the inmates will try to play mind games with you and you have to think things through with them. Officers control everything of the inmates, as of their cells, lights, TV, bathroom, when to get up, when to go to bed, and they control them. You have to know how to deal with the inmates because you’ll never know what can happen to you on your shift. The lady officer who told us she’s been working at the county for 27 years said she seen things that she wish she can unsee, she also said many things have happened to her. Inmates threw their pee on her and her inmates tried to throw their booboo on her. You have to have a strong mind and a strong mentality to work in the jail, because you have to keep your work life separate from your personal life. The sheriff also told us that 60% aren’t bad people they just made some bad mistakes, while the other 40% deserve to stay in jail. Most of the inmates have some type of mental illness and they have a 24 hour nurse to take care of that. -dbaby007
ReplyDeleteThe jail tour was and very interesting, and a great experience. It really showed me that everyone has to start somewhere, in the law enforcement field. I think it's a very good policy, that most police departments are starting to only hire people with jail experience. And it shows that it is working just like the Sheriff said he is down 13 people in the jail, because other agencies hired them on. Just like Sheriff Asbell who started at the jail, and worked his way to the top. I also thought it was very interesting how much the Sheriff cut back the jail population by over half. It's amazing on what he has done, and the polices the Sheriff Asbell has put in place to influence this change in population. It also showed me that I do not want to have a career as a corrections officer. Some of the stories corrections officer told the group were just crazy. She told us a story of when a murderer first came into the jail, she looked into his eyes and there was nothing there, no feelings or emotion. It's crazy to think of the kind of people you deal with while working in a jail. Corrections officers literally deal with all of the psychopaths, killers, arsonist. Now me saying that I do not want to spend a career in corrections, doesn't mean I don't want to be a corrections officer. I would love to start in a jail so I can get that experience, and the knowledge of how inmates act, talk, and react to my actions. I think all that experience is one of the best tools to have. Also this tour gave me a better understanding of how the jail works and functions. I learned the rules implemented on the inmates, I learned what the inmates can and can't do, while incarcerated. Going into the tour, I knew that correction officers complete control over inmates, but some things that corrections officers could do was shocking. Like how the correction officers could go behind the cells, and look into the inmates cell to see what they were doing. They can turn the water on and off, to ensure no one flushes any contraband down the toilet. It also surprised me that 80 percent of the Sheriff's budget goes to the jail, that surprised me a lot. I think the jail tour is a great thing, and should be continued in future years.
ReplyDeleteI-Like-Cereal-711
Peoria County Sheriff Asbell did an excellent job giving us a tour around the jail. He explained to us the key components of what he has done to keep the jail a more safe place, also his goals for the workers and inmates. I personally like how he has applied all these rules for the workers but he himself is following them. For example, how he doesn’t bring his gun into the facility. One more thing that I also liked was how he told us that the inmates are humans and he didn’t want us going into the jail looking as if it were a zoo. Everyone is treated with respect and dignity because they are still humans that have made mistakes. Some of the accomplishments made were closing some sections down because the population in the has decreased. He mentioned that they are about 300 inmates I believe, which is half of what there was when he started as sheriff. There are less than 40 women incarcerated, which is something that states in statistics. We were shown the cells and they are even smaller from the first time I went on another tour. I can't imagine the thought process a person would have being in there 24/7. Which explains why inmates have problems with each other like Sheriff Asbell mentioned. They have to live with each other and if there is any type of violence that gets out of controlled, they are housed separately. Even, if they go to church they have to go at separate times. When we first walked into the facility there were specrate rooms next to where you get booked. Those were the room for their high risk offenders and ones that were on suicide watch. If someone is on suicide watch, they have to be checked on every 15 mins and there is a red paper letting them know that there is someone being watched. Asbell also mentioned that if we wanted to be deputies for the department that we had to work at the jail first. I think that is very important and smart because before going off to the streets and given a gun, they should know how to talk to people. Lastly, the most meaningful comment he made that was his goal was slowly rehabilitating people back to their homes so there would have to be a jail in Peoria. That is something that I find amazing for a sheriff to say because it shows that the job isn’t about locking people up every second they make a mistake, but helping learn to not make them again. taco007
ReplyDeleteOne thing that Sheriff Asbell said, was that his one of his goals as sheriff is to do his best to help contribute to the closing of the jail. In terms, of helping inmates get the proper help that they need to stay out of jail. Jails will always be funded, but it only makes sense to help enough people. Reducing the urge to commit crimes creating repeat visits to jail. Sheriff Asbell, mentioned he has reduced the jail population by 50% during his time working at the jail and as sheriff. Obviously, reduction of certain crimes to simple misdemeanors or even fines or tickets, has helped reduce the number of people locked up for crimes.
ReplyDeleteI like how the jail and the Sheriff's office utilize the phone and video visit recordings. They can get intelligence from both of those to open up new cases or even solve, for example multiple homicide cases. It is always smart to utilize tools that will help solve crimes. The thing to remember is that it takes a lot of patients. People who commit crimes and are in jail , either are smart or aren't when they use the phones or have video visits.
I was surprised to learn that the medical care requirements for county jails were so basic, and in a sense almost bare minimum. Counties, such as Lacon, Sheriff Asbell mentioned, did not have full-time medical staff at their county jail. Our county jail, has a full time 24 hour medical assistance available. Not just in terms of physical help, but in addition, mental health assistance is also available. In this Aspect, while people are at the jail, they should try to have both sound mind and body. Because that helps to deal with what goes on inside jails.
Lastly, I believe that Brian Asbell is doing as much as he can with what he has. He is not only responsible for the safety of the staff, and inmates at the county jail, but also for his deputies on patrol, or those who provide security at the county courthouse, which includes transporting inmates to court. I pay taxes, my taxes go towards paying for the jail, and those that work in local law enforcement. It was good to see where some of my money goes. The more money that can be saved, can then be re-invested to help contribute to closing down the county jail. --YouMustAcquit007--
Before I took the jail tour, I had no real expectations of what it would be like. I lacked the necessary information to create my own opinion. After the tour I thought the jail was clean and well maintained. The staff and officers seemed to enjoy the work environment. The Sheriff encouraged the people in the tour to apply for a correctional officer’s position within the jail. He greatly advocated that a career as a correctional officer would be rewarding both in financial stability and for personal growth. The jail has recently lost a few employees due to other counties hiring them for patrol officers. So, the Sheriff is trying to find trust worthy recruits to fill the vacant positions. The jail population has been drastically reduced in size due to the hard work and determination of the Sheriff. They currently house less than 300 inmates, less than 50 of the inmates are women. The jail has the space to house around 600 inmates. Before the Sheriff took his current position, the jail population was extremely high; higher than what it is today. The Sheriff has spent vast amounts of time and resources to enable the jail to become accredited. This means the jail has higher standards than what the state or government requires. It takes more money to be “better than average” but in the long term the jail saves money as there are less suing from the inmates. This mind set is greatly beneficial as it increases living standards within the in the jail. The sheriff was also able to cut the cost of housing for inmates. Currently, the cost is around 80 dollars a day for each person. I am surprised the amount isn’t more than 80 dollars per day. Food, utilities and other costs I would have assumed it would have exceeded the daily cost of more than 80 dollars a day. Thus, I applaud the efforts that went into obtaining such a low cost, I am truly impressed. I noticed many things while on the jail tour itself. It was said, there is no master key into or out of the jail; of course, this is all for safety. The control room within the jail opened all the major doors. I find this to be wise as there is less of a risk that an inmate escapes from the jail. I hadn’t thought of the jail not having a master key, but it makes sense why they don’t have one. -CoalRoller711
ReplyDeleteGoing through the jail with Sheriff Asbell was something else. It was eye opening and very moving. I was very moved to hear that Sheriff Asbell’s goal as Sheriff was to shut down the jail. The most important thing I took away from the tour is his three rules to work at the jail. I believe his three rules are something that needs to be spread out all over the criminal justice system. It was crazy to hear that the jail can hold up to over 600 people and that Sherriff as bell has cut down the populace to less than half. With most of the populace only being male and only 30 female inmates. His purpose as sheriff is working for the long run to get these people the help they need. With the help they are getting from Sheriff Asbell and his team, the inmates are bound to become fully refunctioning members of society again. After getting to see how the cells work and how the inmates are separated. It was crazy to see how the small cells worked. The one toilet and then share the showers. I was not expecting to see how that worked. It was awesome however to be given insight from Sheriff Asbell’s work ethic and how is formula to getting things done. To hear that the jail does have a mental health program it is nice to see that things around here are getting done the right way. To see that it is working due to the evidence he showed with the decrease of the jails population it goes to show it does in fact work. If given the chance to work with the Sheriff even starting at a Correctional officer, it would be a chance not to pass up. One of his three rules to work by I see the most of is just give and honest days work. I follow that at my current job because it something I love to do. When a job is something you love to do it doesn’t feel like a job and things are so much easier no matter how tough things get. Given more enlightenment from Sheriff Asbell working at the jail would probably be the best thing with his guidance. It comes to show that when the job is political go in with discretions and sway away from the political side and care about those in the community. Taking care of those in the community affects your job in the long term when it comes to building repour with those who end up under your care. -Rollforinitiative711
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