TCI to Update County Commission on Status of DeKalb County Jail

January 4, 2023
By: Dwayne Page

It’s been almost two years since officials of the Tennessee Corrections Institute paid a call on the former county commission to address the structural deficiencies with the DeKalb County Jail but a return visit is planned this month to bring the new commission up to date on the current condition of the facility and what TCI expects of the county to maintain jail certification.

Bob Bass, Deputy Director of the Tennessee Corrections Institute (TCI) along with Jim Hart of the County Technical Assistance Service (CTAS) will meet with the County Mayor, County Commission, and Sheriff on Wednesday, January 18 at 6 p.m. in the lower courtroom of the courthouse.

Although the county will have to continue pursuing a long-term plan of action for addressing structural deficiencies, the state has continued to grant certification approval for the DeKalb County Jail and Annex. As part of that plan of action the sheriff must submit monthly progress reports to TCI and the county, at the request of TCI, commissioned CTAS to conduct a needs assessment or feasibility study of the jail.

In the fall of 2019, the county entered into a partnership with TCI and CTAS to develop a plan of action to show measurable progress in rectifying deficiencies to keep the jail and annex certified. Although no measurable progress had to be shown during the height of the COVID pandemic, Bass told the county commission on March 31, 2021 that the problems will eventually have to be solved.

“The particular standards you are in trouble with are physical plant. How the jail was built. It has nothing to do with what the sheriff’s department has done or the staff when it comes to operation. In fact its one of the cleanest jails I have been in. Even the part you shouldn’t be operating (the oldest building) is clean and well organized. You are not overcrowded. You just don’t meet TCI standards in some areas,” he said.

The oldest building, which has been in operation since 1959 and houses prisoners in its basement, poses perhaps the greatest concern.

“That basement has no natural light. You must have skylight. Windows that produce natural light. You must have an 8 foot ceiling height. Your basement ceiling is 7 feet, 6 inches. Its not sprinkled. Sprinklers are not part of our standards unless you are building a new facility but old facilities like yours are not grandfathered in and you have a cage down there which serves as a makeshift cell for trustees with a 12 inch gap on top of it. That is unauthorized housing. An inmate could come over that gap and have access to appliances, water heater, chemicals, etc,” said Bass.

The basement cells each have 10 beds but the square footage only exists for six inmates and while the cells have porcelain sinks and toilets the state requires they be stainless steel. The cells also have no floor drains and conduit is exposed.

Cells for females in another part of the jail have similar issues.

As for the jail annex, which has been in operation since 2001, there are 46 beds with adequate space for only 32 inmates.

According to Bass new and existing facilities must have at least a minimum size multiple-occupancy cell for 2-64 occupants with twenty-five (25) square feet of clear floor space for each occupant in the sleeping areas, and a ceiling elevation of not less than eight (8) feet. At least thirty-five (35) square feet of clear floor space must be provided for each occupant when the occupant is confined for more than ten (10) hours per day.

“We have identified what our problems are and must now figure out a way to come up with a solution. We’re here to help and we will get you through this. My suggestion is to start strategizing about what options you have. You can’t do anything about the basement in the old jail building. You will have to come out of that basement. It could be used for storage but not for housing inmates. Take a look at your growth and see how many beds you need which the feasibility study will address. We want to help you fix the problems but until we get them fixed I am going to fight to keep you certified. That’s my job. I will go in front of the board and plead your case,” said Bass.

January 4, 2023
By: Dwayne Page

Don’t be surprised if you see a line of automobiles early Saturday morning stretching from downtown Smithville on South College Street as far out as Green Brook Park.

It’s become a regular occurrence at least twice a year as families needing food get in line to be served by the Smithville Cumberland Presbyterian Church’s mobile food pantry in partnership with Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee.

The distribution begins at 9 a.m. with registration starting at 8:30 a.m. No one being served ever has to leave their automobile. Volunteers working the pantry will prepare food boxes filled with non-perishables, vegetables, produce, canned goods, breads, bakery treats, and sometimes dairy products and deliver them directly to the vehicles waiting in line. Automobiles will line up facing north on College Street to North Market Street.

Myra Reffue, Pantry Coordinator, said this food distribution has been a community outreach mission of the church for several years.

“Second Harvest always sends us enough food to feed about 300 families and we try to limit it to two families per car and depending upon the size of the family there is enough food distributed to feed each family for about a week. This particular pantry is sponsored and paid for by TVA so the church doesn’t have to pay anything for this one. Many times we get sponsorships from companies that go through Second Harvest and if there is no sponsor the church covers the cost,” said Reffue.

The food pantry always gets help from volunteers both from the church and the community to off load the Second Harvest truck and to prepare and deliver the food boxes but others who want to participate are welcome.

“Anyone who wants to volunteer needs to be there by 7:30 a.m. Saturday morning. For more information you may call 615-597-4197, extension 3,” added Reffue.

January 4, 2023
By: Dwayne Page

Children at the Smithville Head Start Center last month were treated to bags of gifts thanks to the Smithville Police Department’s “Cops4Kids” program.

In what has become an annual event, Police Chief Mark Collins and members of the department made sure each child had a bag of toys. Sabrina Kirksey and Amber Spurgeon provided the musical entertainment, the Christmas Story was delivered by Ryan Huling of New Life Pentecostal Church & Pickles. The children also got a visit from Santa and the Grinch.

Chief Collins said the effort is made possible due to generous donations of the community and the help of Cash Express who conducted a collection drive.

“Cash Express puts out the collection boxes at local businesses for toys, food, clothing and money jars in addition to their annual Fill the Cop Car and Bake Sale event. The toys and money are then given to the police department while the food collected goes to God’s Food Pantry and the clothing to the Hope Center to help with their ministries. Most toys are for the younger children, so the money is spent to purchase gifts for the 11-year-olds and up. We also purchase clothing items if requested by the parent,” said Chief Collins.

The Smithville Police Department’s “Cops4Kids” program began in 2012 and has served Smithville Head Start children with gifts at Christmas time since 2015 along with others requesting and needing help.

“The first year the department started with $300 and donations from our community. From that we were able to provide food, entertainment, and gifts to 108 children. This year we were able to provide gifts to 246 children,” Chief Collins continued.

A special thanks goes to Cash Express and to RealSource who joined in the effort this year.

“The department has enjoyed its partnership with Cash Express and a special lady in particular, Evelyn Woods, who donates gifts throughout the year. We are truly grateful for her support. This year, the department also partnered with RealSource who obtained forms from the local schools that parents filled out and returned to the teachers if they desired help. This allowed the department to help more children in the community,” added Chief Collins.

“The department is thankful for the support and partnerships it has formed with the public. The children of this community are the city, county, and state’s future and any help and encouragement to them can go a long way in molding who they will become,” Chief Collins concluded.

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