Addison Watson
Staff Writer
awatson25@murraystate.edu
Nov. 4 was the fifth night of the Murray Police Department’s Citizens Police Academy, and attendees of the program were given a tour of the Calloway County Jail.
Jailer Ken Claud, also a retired Murray Police Chief, led the tour of the full-service jail. The jail operates in a capacity that houses pre-trial inmates, inmates awaiting a sentence and sometimes convicted inmates for a sentence that does not require them to go to a state or federal prison.
The jail was built in 1996, replacing the much-smaller previous jail. Being able to house up to 129 inmates, a majority of the room is available for males. This doesn’t mean if the jail is at capacity law enforcement officials stop doing their job.
Four different law enforcement agencies transport inmates to the Calloway County Jail for booking into the court system.
The jail has operated day-to-day with nearly 200 inmates before, but currently has 171 inmates. The old jail still houses inmates who have been released to work under supervision. These inmates work 40 hour weeks and are compensated 60 cents a day for their work.
There are currently 32 full-time employees working at the jail. Four deputy jailers must be on staff at all times, and one of the four must be a female.
The jail operates on a budget of over $3 million. The budget provides meals, proper housing and other necessities to inmates. The jail also has contracts with outside professionals who provide scheduled medical evaluations, mental health counseling and other services.
The inmates on work release do a variety of different jobs for the City of Murray and Calloway County. Some of the jobs they complete are mowing city cemeteries, picking up garbage along roadways and highways, assisting nonprofits and a variety of other assigned tasks.
Claud informed attendees that in 2018 approximately $450,000 was saved from having to pay employees to complete the work the inmates do. This saves taxpayer money, and allows the inmates to get out of the jail setting everyday and contribute to the community.
“We try to work with the inmates the best we can,” Claud said. “If an inmate is cooperative and qualifies for a work program, we do our best to accommodate them and their skillset.”
In addition to work programs, under the direction of Claud, there are various classes that can be taken by inmates based on their needs to better the direction of their life prior to being released back into society.
The classes include substance abuse counseling, parenting courses, moral reconation therapy and GED courses.
Most of the classes are taught by long-time Deputy Jailer Deeann Benke, who serves as program coordinator. Benke has been a deputy jailer with the jail for 25 years.
“We try to help them not be so overwhelmed when they get out of jail,” Benke said. “If you can’t get the inmates’ attention, some of our programs resonate with the inmates better.”
Benke teaches a class directed toward incarcerated fathers. She noted it is difficult to get the point across to inmates that they need to change their actions and behaviors.
“When you start talking about inmate’s children and families, they respond,” Benke said.
Sgt. David Bryan discussed the process of booking someone into the court system when they first get arrested and the logistics of how the jail operates day
to day.
When an officer drops someone off at the jail, they bring the inmate in along with their arresting information. The inmate begins by going through a very precise body scanner that checks for contraband on the inmate before they enter the facility.
Then, they get their photo taken, fingerprints taken, are asked to get changed into a jail uniform and are assigned a cell. If the inmate is intoxicated or under the influence of a narcotic, they will be put in a detoxification cell until they are sober enough to be placed in the general population cell.
“Inmates can be very unpredictable,” Bryan said.
Bryan said when college starts up in the fall every year, the jail sees an influx of college-aged students. Most of the charges are alcohol related.
Occasionally, the jail will see inmates who have mental health issues. While there are employees on staff trained to deal with this type of inmate, there may be better alternatives than spending the night in jail.
Sgt. Brant Shutt, public affairs officer for the Murray Police Department, said his officers are trained to recognize mental health issues based on observance and interaction with people they come into contact with.
“All our officers are trained in crisis intervention,” Shutt said. “They can make the judgment if someone needs to be evaluated by an alternative mental health center, as opposed to being taken to jail.”
Next week’s class will feature a polygraph demonstration and a course on traffic operations. It is scheduled for Nov. 11.
Addison Watson is a staff writer for The Murray State News. As part of his assignment, he is attending the Citizens Police Academy at the Murray Police Department to write this series of stories. You can find all of his articles in the series at TheNews.org.