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Wednesday, June 06, 2007
Ohio DRC Review of Queensgate, Feb. 2007
Posted by The Dean of Cincinnati
Here is a copy of the report where the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction not only found Queensgate compliant with 62 areas, but they found that the jail was operating at almost twenty beds under capacity. The Ohio DRC also commended Queensgate for continuing to work to upgrade their facility.
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06 Jun 2007 at 09:22 pm | #
I’d point out the issues - that are right in front of your faces - but nobody is listening, so why bother.
Heck, I don’t know anything…
Hurry, hurry, get off this blog and go get some more petitions signed.LOL They want to change the criminal justice system and we can’t have that.
06 Jun 2007 at 09:59 pm | #
Yossarian, I thought the walls were crumbling because the prisoners were pissing on the wall. I guess you were just shoveling bullshit again. You’re a liar and coward just like the jailocrats you shine shoes for.
The pedestal that progressives have placed Portune on is crumbling because he’s pissing away our tax dollars while pissing on our Democracy.
Had Enough? Vote Green 2007!
07 Jun 2007 at 06:42 am | #
Yossarian
Did you claim that the walls at the Queensgate facility were crumbling? Did you claim that the reason for their crumbling was because prisoners were pissing on the walls? If so, would you please tell us why you said these things and they are not true? Would you also tell us what your source was for this claim?
07 Jun 2007 at 06:21 pm | #
Not only is Hamilton County operating this jail under its capacity according to the Bureau of Adult Detention, but it never reached even the county’s lower limit. The county-imposed limit is 822 beds, the most that were on there on a single day was 813, and the average was 715.
What this means is that there were NO prisoners released from Queensgate for lack of jail space.
I do wish the criminal justice system here would change, but I want any change based on good information. There are some (such as anon2000) who apparently disagree.
So we know that Queensgate is not falling down (unlike what Commmissioner Portune has repeatedly claimed), it is not being destroyed by urine (unlike Yossarian’s claim), and that it is operating under capacity (unlike Portune and Deter’s claim). Why should we trust these guys any further?
07 Jun 2007 at 11:05 pm | #
MEP - I believe you are absolutely sincere and your hard work is evident. It IS curious that we both care so much and have dedicated so much time to research on the issue and come up with so different positions.
My communication skills must really suck.
We agree the sales tax sucks - I’d rather see a different manner of collecting the money that doesn’t hurt the poor - but, I don’t know what that would be.
We both agree the homeless, addicts and mentally ill shouldn’t be in jail for offenses related to their conditions without an opportunity for quality treatment first.
I think we both agree that there’s alot of poverty related crime that can be cured through GOOD jobs that have a future.
I think we both agree or know that THIS community WILL NOT support these programs and services as a stand alone.
We agree that the court system is inefficient, biased and harsh inparticular to disadvantaged persons.
What I think we disagree on is whether 1/3 of the money being collected to provide for a new jail is ... what?
Just tell me this, MEP, do you honestly believe that Leis won’t sue and get his jail no matter what?
I wish I could have my cake and eat it too - all programming and no new jail - knowing the jail is coming, I support the plan to give us the programming and oversight board to change the system best we can, and to serve these people being jailed for social dysfunction.
I wish you’d call me.
08 Jun 2007 at 09:55 am | #
Anon2000
If you’ve researched this issue so much, why don’t you know that Portune, Pepper and Leis are lying about the purported overcrowding CRISIS and the crumbling facilities?
They do. But more important than that, your reasoning skills suck. And you obviously lack courage or else you’d join the fight to stop the jail.
Oh, I think you know that the Commissioners have other ways to fund the Portune/Pepper/Leis/Deters/Lindner/Ghiz/Berding plan, but they won’t even consider them. DeWine has a plan to fund the construction of the jail with money the County already has. Portune and Pepper claim DeWine’s plan doesn’t address operational costs. Well, fine. Why did they take property taxes off the table?
I’m not sure if Mr. Patton agrees with you on this point or not, but I’d like to know what you base this assumption on. Instead of guessing what this community will or will not support, why not ask them. This is the same community that support all sorts of tax levies for schools, children, hospitals, mental health, and a lot of other stuff.
What people like you are trying to do is (1) keep repeating this claim in hopes that people will assume it is true and (2) make excuses for your support of the new jail.
Too much!
Are you a complete moron or what? If Leis has grounds to sue and win despite the fact that the facilities are not overcrowded and there is no shortage of beds, then what makes you think he won’t have the same grounds to sue and win once the new jail is built and the other facilities are closed and the contract with Butler County is cancelled? You’ve already admitted that the plan you support results in no additional beds. So, what, are you setting us up for Leis to sue and get 2 new jails. Is this your way of preparing the public for the inevitable—after we build the new jail, Leis sues and gets another new jail and Portune and Pepper say: “Its not our fault, we built him a new jail. Blame the Republican judges.”
The people proved in November that a jail tax is NOT inevitable. You punks in the Democratic Party may not have the backbone to stand up to Leis and the powerful prison industrial complex (just like Democrats in Congress don’t have the backbone to stand up to Bush and the military industrial complex) but the people do. The people know that Leis hasn’t made the case for a new jail, or for closing the other jail facilities. (Amazingly, even bent-spine DeWine and Republican from the past had more guts than Portune and Pepper. They stood up to Leis and told him NO. We aren’t going to increase people’s taxes to build you a new jail when you don’t need one. DeWine opposes closing Queensgate, but Portune and Pepper are all for it. And you wonder why Dems get labelled wasteful spenders.)
08 Jun 2007 at 10:14 am | #
It’s amazing to see Progressives rallying to support a warehouse approach to jailing, like that seen in Queensgate.
08 Jun 2007 at 12:14 pm | #
It’s not suprizing that elitist like David Pepper want a shiny new wharehouse to jail all the pot smokers in town. He wants a state of the art police state. He should be locked up for his drug use and impaired vision of what’s in the interest of our county.
It’s too bad we allow seats in government to be sold to spoiled rich kids that don’t have a clue about fighting crime. He gets his ass kicked every other week and next election he’s going to get stomped.
08 Jun 2007 at 10:33 pm | #
Sounds as if this report is interesting and useful, wish I could read it. Is it online where I might be able to?
10 Jun 2007 at 12:56 pm | #
I think it is possible that he would sue, but I also think that the only way that he would win is if Portune and Pepper decide not to contest the suit. I have seen the legal opinion given to them. The law is against Leis. He knows that. One of the commissioners’ jobs is precisely to determine what is reasonable and affordable.
It is not just Leis who comes to the commissioners for money. The treasurer, clerk of courts, prosecuting attorney, auditor, recorder, county engineer, and the different court judges also ask for money from the commissioners. And those are the elected officials; there are other departments that report directly to the commissioners. It is ridiculous to assert that everyone can demand and receive however much money they want.