The jail committee

Howard Wilkinson reports:

Whenever and wherever a new Hamilton County jail is built, county commissioners are hoping that a Criminal Justice Commission which held its first meeting Wednesday will help them assure it is not obsolete the day it opens.

“I hope that this will be the body that understands the jail issues better than anyone in the community,’’ Commissioner David Pepper told the 20 commission members who gathered Wednesday at the county’s Jobs and Family Services office.

The permanent task force – chaired by retired federal judge Nathaniel R. Jones – is not likely to have much say in where and when the $230 million, 1,800 bed jail is built, but will have a role in making sure it solves the county’s jail overcrowding problems.

The commission – which is made up of county and city officials, law enforcement representatives, judges, the county coroner, the public defender’s office and the Cincinnati Business Committee – has been asked by the commissioners to monitor jail issues and help them come up with ways to help them prevent future jail overcrowding.

“The work of this committee is not focused so much on facilities but the criminal justice system as a whole,’’ said Todd Portune, president of the board of county commissioners.

Members of the commission were given an overview of the jail situation in Hamilton County as it is today; and were told that the commissioners’ are considering the option of going to the voters in May for a sales tax increase to build a new jail. A 10-year, quarter-cent sales tax hike was rejected by the voters in November.

At its next meeting, the commission will form committees to study various aspects of the criminal justice system, including looking at the probation system, current treatment and diversion programs, and the structure of the criminal justice system.

“The first job of this group will be to evaluate the system as it is today – what’s working and what’s not,’’ Pepper told the group.