You are viewing this article in the AnnArbor.com archives. For the latest breaking news and updates in Ann Arbor and the surrounding area, see MLive.com/ann-arbor
Posted on Wed, Jul 31, 2013 : 7:48 p.m.

County jail renovations result in fewer inmate fights

By Amy Biolchini

A series of renovations at the Washtenaw County Jail at 2201 Hogback Road has resulted in fewer fights among inmates, Heritage Media reported.

Updates to the jail began in 2008 and ended this spring, expanding the jail's capacity from 332 beds to 404, according to the report. Inmates are housed in the facility for up to one year.

112510_court-jail1.JPG

The new 14A-1 District Court wing of the Intake, Transfer and Release Center in 2010 at the Washtenaw County Jail at 2201 Hogback Road.

Angela J. Cesere | AnnArbor.com file photo

Observation rooms and corridors in the area where new prisoners are housed make it less crowded, the report stated.

New cell block configurations also place corrections officers directly on the floor with the inmates at all times. Previously they were in an office observing inmates via video surveillance and relied on hourly walk-through inspections, the newspaper reported.

Amy Biolchini covers Washtenaw County, health and environmental issues for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at (734) 623-2552, amybiolchini@annarbor.com or on Twitter.

Comments

pawky

Thu, Aug 1, 2013 : 8:23 p.m.

@TDW: CSC 4, I believe...

tdw

Thu, Aug 1, 2013 : 11:57 a.m.

I don't know if this adds anything but there are a few misdemeanors ( I can't remember what they are ) that can get you up to 2 years in jail

DonBee

Thu, Aug 1, 2013 : 11:19 a.m.

Of course the improvement at the jail came at the cost of the County Sheriff's road patrols and new tax levies in the townships and villages to pay for continuation of the road patrols and support from the Sheriff's department. One tends to forget how this all happened over time and the increased cost it brought to most of the residents of the county. I am glad there are fewer fights in the jail - but at what cost per fight, given the increased cost to the average business and homeowner in the county? This is in a pattern at the County Commission with the decision to extend 10 year contracts, reopen the defined benefit program for county employees and to issue 300+ million in bonds to cover the lack of money in the pension funds for county employees.

sandalwood

Thu, Aug 1, 2013 : 4:42 a.m.

You people are pitiful! LOL! I read Ann Arbor News online too, and sometime make comments. But do you really spend your time looking up the cases on the law and posting on these stories that are like this? Plus you want to bitch out the reporter for reporting it? You reporters are doing great! Do pay attention to these idiots!!!!

Basic Bob

Thu, Aug 1, 2013 : 2:57 a.m.

Great picture of the "Hogback Hilton". Honestly, I would have never known it looked this contemporary.

TheDiagSquirrel

Thu, Aug 1, 2013 : 1:11 a.m.

What data regarding "less fights" are we supposed to extrapolate from this article? Without clicking on the link, of course.

Toby BenDor

Thu, Aug 1, 2013 : midnight

So you copied an article from Heritage and still managed to make a factually incorrect statement. As they reported, inmates are sentenced to jail for up to one year. This means that inmates may often be "housed" at the jail for considerably longer, even multiple years. Shame on annarbor.com for so badly paraphrasing a copied article!

cornelius McDougenschniefferburgenstein jr. 3 esq.

Sun, Aug 4, 2013 : 2:24 a.m.

p.s. ithink he was hogbacking 96-01.

cornelius McDougenschniefferburgenstein jr. 3 esq.

Sun, Aug 4, 2013 : 2:21 a.m.

tobys correct craig ann arbor news did articles on the 5 year inmate in 97 i recall.james lulow or lelow anyway he was convicted of murder due to a writing pen he pocessed.

Craig Lounsbury

Thu, Aug 1, 2013 : 3:09 p.m.

I'm still finding multiple years a stretch. Not even OJ was in jail multiple years while standing trial for murder. He was in jail a little more than 15 months. Multiple years is at least 2 (730 days. )

halflight

Thu, Aug 1, 2013 : 3:06 a.m.

Craig: A defendant may be housed in the Jail pending trial; state guidelines provide that 90% of criminal cases be resolved within 90 days. However, some trials take significantly longer because of various pretrial processes. For example, if someone's mental competency to stand trial is an issue, it takes time for them to be evaluated; if they plead insanity, it takes time to get various psychiatric examinations. So the state guidelines allow for 2% of criminal cases to take up to 300 days before adjudication. Even so, the guidelines are just that-- not fixed requirements. If necessary, a defendant can be held in excess of the guidelines under certain circumstances. If there are multiple charges and multiple trials, that obviously also involves more time. As Mr. BenDor points out, the one year limitation applies to the sentence, not to the total time a criminal defendant/convict spends in custody at the jail.

Toby BenDor

Thu, Aug 1, 2013 : 1:32 a.m.

I've heard the current record for an inmate with multiple cases/appeals/trials etc. at the WCJ is nearly 5 years. An actual reporter would be able to find out factual information such as this...

Craig Lounsbury

Thu, Aug 1, 2013 : 1:11 a.m.

I'm no legal expert, but under what circumstance would anyone be housed at a county jail for multiple years in the State of Michigan?