HCSO to offer tours of Justice Center

To give Highland County residents a chance to see for themselves what goes on behind the walls of one of the county's largest expenditures, the Highland County Justice Center will be opened for limited touring beginning in May.

Highland County Sheriff Ron Ward said that jail administrator Chris Lengefeld approached him with the idea, and he feels that it is a good way for taxpayers to get a look at how some of their funds are being spent.

"The county jail is one of the largest expenditures in my budget, and I have the single largest budget out of Highland County's general fund," Ward said. "We want the taxpayers to know how their money is being spent, the efficient way we run the jail, and the safe way we run the jail."

Lengefeld said in a release on Monday that, "Since our doors opened on Oct. 28, 2001, the Highland County Jail has maintained an average of 72 incarcerated inmates, and has booked approximately 25,000 criminals ranging from disorderly conduct to murder. Many attempts have been made over the years, but we proudly boast the fact that no inmate has ever escaped these walls. The corrections division has striven to exceed Sheriff Ward's mission, by maintaining a safe environment for both corrections officers and inmates, while keeping the public safe by operating a secure facility."

Ward said that in accordance with state statute, each quarter members of the grand jury of Highland County Common Pleas Court are required to inspect the jail.

"Four times a year a group of grand jurors come in and we get feedback and comments from those folks," Ward said. "Some of the feedback was that we should do this for the general public."

The tours will be small groups of individuals over the age of 18. They will hold tours at different times in order to accommodate the various schedules of county residents. People who choose to tour the facility will be subject to screening, "for obvious security reasons."

Ward said the tours will be safe, but, "any time you go into a secure facility there is a certain amount of risk involved. We'll keep that risk to a minimum, but for liability purposes it is adults only."

Individuals touring the facility must also be a resident of Highland County.

"We'll demonstrate what the inmates workers do to save the county money, such as floor and bathroom cleaning and laundry services," Ward said. "We'll show central control, where we monitor the movement of all inmates."

The groups will see the intake facility where inmates are processed, and "we'll show them what amenities are allotted to inmates, in accordance with the Ohio Minimum Jail Standards," Ward said.

"I use the word 'amenities' loosely," Ward said, regarding clothing, footwear and menu items. "A lot of people think that jail is all bread and water, but it's much more than that. We give them what the state says we have to give them. No more, no less."

If interested in scheduling a jail tour, contact Lengefeld at (937) 840-6259 or email him at clengefeld@highlandcoso.com.