New Haywood County Jail in Danger of Not Being Certified
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Inspectors with the Tennessee Corrections Institute are warning Haywood County officials that their new jail is not being operated according to standards. They believe the problems stem from being short-staffed. The agency sent a letter to Sheriff Melvin Bond that said problems were found with several areas that could lead to decertification, if more staff is not brought on to fix them. The Sheriff says it costs about $26,000 a year to hire just one full time employee. Mayor Franklin Smith tells us there is not room in their budget for that. Sheriff Bond said he kept the original 21 member staff when the jail opened in April, despite recommendations that he have 26 members. He says he plans to bring in another staffing expert from CTASK to make another evaluation. “He will shadow or critique my staff and do an assessment of it and come back with a recommendation that he will give to the county commission, the mayor, and myself,” said Sheriff Bond. The Sheriff does not plan to make a decision about hiring anyone until those new recommendations are made. The TCI can come in unannounced at anytime to make their official evaluation on the facility.
