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Don't overreact to jailhouse attack

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 11, 2009

After the brutal attack and a dramatic rescue in a Hillsborough County jail last week, a lot of people are questioning the wisdom of putting a lone deputy in a jail pod with dozens of inmates.

The questions are understandable, and some revisions may be in order. But critics should not forget the "direct supervision" tactic has proved itself highly effective since the county adopted it in 1990.

It would be foolish to abandon a technique that - national and local statistics show - reduces violence, improves safety and cuts costs.

The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office is reviewing practices after the close call at the Orient Road Jail.

Deputy Kenneth Moon was at his desk, where he was supervising 62 inmates in the pod, which includes individual cells and a common area. An inmate abruptly attacked him, putting him in a chokehold. Four other inmates raced to aid the 64-year-old Moon, subduing his attacker and radioing deputies for help. The dramatic and unlikely rescue drew international coverage.

But now many observers are wondering how one deputy can be expected to manage up to 72 inmates, a ratio that is allowed in Hillsborough jails.

Unlike traditional jails, where inmates are kept in cells while guards patrol from outer areas, in direct supervision, the officer stays in the living area with inmates.

This is not the madness it might seem.

The arrangement allows the officer to develop a rapport with the inmates, to quickly detect problems and defuse tensions. Moreover, the guards exercise more authority than when they are separated from the inmates.
Inmates are disciplined - or rewarded - according to their behavior. The inmates must keep the facility clean and respond to directives. Punishments for infractions vary from losing TV privileges to being reassigned to a traditional "lockdown" facility, where inmates stay in the cell 23 hours a day.

Studies show there is less violence - against staff or other inmates - in direct supervision jails.

Col. Jim Previtera, who heads the sheriff's office detention services, says the inmates rushed to Moon's aid because of the relationship direct supervision made possible.

"They respect him," he says. "They know he's firm but fair, like a military sergeant. He's like a father figure to many of them."

Still, some changes may be in order.
Deputies in a pod are unarmed. But they do have radios that have an alert button that locks once depressed. In this case the deputy had placed his radio on the desk and was unable to trip the alarm.

Cameras broadcast what's happening in a pod to a control center, where a staff of four monitors the signals. A computer program controls transmissions from the various pods and Previtera says there can be a gap of a half-minute or so between the views of a pod. That's enough time for something awful to happen.

The sheriff's office should determine whether more people are needed in the control room and whether improvements in the computer program are possible.

And if it is unrealistic to expect deputies to keep their radios on them at all times, perhaps another alarm system should be considered.

Still, things should be kept in perspective.

Jail violence has been dramatically reduced since the adoption of direct supervision and continues to go down.

Previtera, who took over the jails last year, had already initiated changes. He has made the criteria tougher to get into direct supervision, including banning anyone who has assaulted a deputy in the past.

This year, there has been a reduction of 60 percent in assaults on staff - only 22 incidents.

Perhaps other refinements are needed. But there will always be risks involved in supervising 3,500 inmates, most of whom are awaiting trial for a felony.

Hillsborough's direct supervision has reduced violence, improved discipline and, by increasing the inmate-to-guard ratio, spared taxpayers upwards of $30 million in personnel costs.

One scary incident should not cause citizens to lose sight of those benefits.

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