Increasing revenues in an effort to reduce operating costs for participating jurisdictions highlighted Wednesday’s meeting of the Corrections Commission of Northwest Ohio. 

CCNO Executive Director Jim Dennis said staff are working with the Securus inmate telephone system and Western Union to allow families and friends to deposit monies into an inmate’s account without having to send it through the mail system.  The improved technology would allow inmates to purchase phone cards as well as commissary items, boosting revenues to offset jail costs.

Mr. Dennis noted that more and more courts are taking advantage of video court.  He said Toledo Municipal Courts continue to increase the use of video courts while Sylvania Municipal Court is to come on line soon.  Participating courts are also using video conferencing to conduct hearings with inmates in Ohio and Michigan state prisons as well as one hearing conducted involving a civil custody issue.  He said the increased usage of video conferencing is helping to reduce transportation costs, maintain security and improve community safety.

In his operational report, Mr. Dennis said Wednesday’s population stood at 551 or 86 percent.  The population averaged 530 or 83 percent in December and 568 or 89 percent in January.  He noted the population dropped to 520 in both months on occasion allowing a housing unit to be shut down that resulted in a reduction in staff overtime.  He noted CCNO experienced its lowest staff turnover rate of 5.78 percent in 2008.

Mr. Dennis informed board members that he would like to pursue grant funding that recently has become available in an effort to update technology and programs at CCNO.  He noted that CCNO has been in operation for 19 years and updated unit security technology will allow officers to spend less time documenting and more time supervising inmates.  He said he would also like to pursue re-entry dollars especially for the mentally ill to ensure that once they are released from CCNO they go directly to appropriate treatment agencies for continued assistance.