October 28, 2019
By: Dwayne Page
The County Commission has taken the first step toward keeping the DeKalb County Jail and Annex from being decertified by the Tennessee Corrections Institute.
During its regular monthly meeting Monday night, the commission voted to authorize County Mayor Tim Stribling and Sheriff Patrick Ray to sign a letter requesting a partnership between the county, TCI, and the County Technical Advisory Service (CTAS) to develop a plan of action for addressing deficiencies found during a recent state inspection of the jail and annex.
In a meeting with the County Mayor and County Commission Thursday night, Sheriff Ray said TCI officials have given assurances that the jail and annex will continue to maintain certification, provided the county seeks a remedy through a “plan of action” in cooperation with TCI and CTAS.
However, County Mayor Stribling explained Monday night that entering into a partnership with TCI and CTAS to come up with plan of action does not commit the county to building a new jail.
“We (Sheriff and County Mayor) need to sign a letter or form more or less stating that DeKalb County will look at a plan of action concerning the DeKalb County Jail. Its not a plan of action to build a new jail. We don’t necessarily know what the plan of action is,” said County Mayor Stribling.
A “plan of action” allows a facility to maintain a certified status after failing to meet all minimum standards while demonstrating to the TCI Board of Control that the facility is making measurable progress over a period of time (months or years) to rectify deficiencies found during inspection.
Sheriff Ray must appear before the TCI Board of Control in Nashville on December 4 to announce the county commission’s decision on seeking a “plan of action”.
Although TCI wants to hear from the county, Stribling said there is no cause for concern.
“I will tell you that Friday morning I spoke to a gentleman named Bob Bass of the Tennessee Corrections Institute. He said don’t fret over this. He is coming down on November 18th to take a look at the jail. He will meet with the Sheriff and me. I talked to him about the plan of action and he said ‘I will write you a plan of action. I will be with you every step of the way’. I also spoke with the Clay County Mayor and they are under a plan of action now and have been for about six years. This is just a step we have to take to satisfy TCI and CTAS,” said County Mayor Stribling.
Several findings were identified during a state inspection of the jail on August 22 and while a follow-up inspection on October 4 revealed some of the issues had been addressed, others remain which will require a longer term fix. Although many of these same deficiencies have existed for years, both the jail and annex have consistently passed annual state inspections until this year.
Tennessee Corrections Institute (TCI) under the authority of T.C.A. 41-4-140, is required to establish minimum standards for adult local jails, lock-ups, workhouses and detention facilities in the state. The agency’s Board of Control establishes the standards to inspect and certify local correctional facilities. Inspections and re-inspections are conducted within the mandated timeframe to ensure compliance of all standards for the purpose of certification.