FARMINGTON – The Franklin County Detention Center passed its inspection with flying colors last month, receiving a new, 2-year license from the state.
Maj. Doug Blauvelt, the jail administrator, reported to commissioners Tuesday that the jail had received a 99.2 percent rating for all mandatory standards and a 98.4 percent rating in regards to meeting essential standards.
Reading from selected passages from the report, Blauvelt said that the inspectors had commended the jail for its record-keeping, tracking of activity logs, inmate classification system and the testing of the facility’s keys and locks. Inspectors noted the 30-year-old facility, built in 1983, was better maintained then some newer facilities throughout the state.
“I couldn’t be happier,” Blauvelt said about the inspection and report.
He noted that operating the jail was a team effort: Lt. John Donald was cited by inspectors as the individual who reviewed jail activity logs, with any inaccurate paperwork returned to employees for correction. The cook supervisor, Lorna Nichols, was congratulated for making “wonderful meals” with homemade bread and desserts by the inspection team. The jail’s classification specialist is Victoria Parker, who was credited by Blauvelt for improving and maintaining the facility’s procedures. The county has a full-time employee, Raymond Lee, doing maintenance throughout the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office facilities, including the jail.
Donald said that the “excellence” in the report was also due to Blauvelt’s leadership. Blauvelt had maintained facility compliance records over the past few years, which had allowed the smooth transition from 72-hour holding facility to full-time jail back in 2015.
It is the first inspection the jail has had since it went from a holding facility to a full-time facility. The approximately 40-bed facility is nearly full; Blauvelt said he only had three beds currently available.
In other business, Probate Judge Richard Morton met with commissioners to discuss a preliminary effort espoused by some members of the State Legislature to replace county-elected probate judges with a smaller number of state-appointed judges. The effort was still in the early concept stage, Morton said.
In general, the proposals would do away with part-time, elected probate judges in favor of three or four state-appointed judges that would float within districts comprised of multiple counties. While some anti-county government sentiment was fueling the new discussion, Morton said, there were also judicial officials that disliked the idea of part-time judges practicing private law.
Calling the debate “interesting to see,” Morton noted there could be additional demands placed on the county if a state-appointed judge began sitting in the Franklin County Courthouse. For example, the probate court is located on the first floor of the courthouse in a relatively narrow room that does not provide a separate office for the judge. That might not be acceptable to an appointed judge, Morton said.
There was also the issue of availability and access. One proposal has three judges serving the probate court needs of the entire state. That would mean that a judge would often not be sitting in Franklin County.
Commissioner Charles Webster of Farmington said that he preferred a locally-elected official to a state-appointed one, as it provided additional control from the voters.
It is nice to hear that our inmates have such a top notch place to reside in!!
Awesome job Doug. Your hard work and Dedication is paying off.
Keep up the great work Captain Parker!
Don’t think we should brag about how good the food is
I don’t think inmates should necessarily be receiving “wonderful meals with homemade bread and desserts.” This is jail, not a vacation resort.
Some of you seem to be missing the point.
When you take a persons freedom from them, you become responsible for that persons well being. YOUR character ( or lack thereof) and morals is revealed in how that person is treated.
Sure, the IDEA of throwing undesirables into a Devils Island type hole in the ground and slamming a heavy iron grate over the top, whilst you walk away cackling like a maniac is a satisfying fantasy, particularly when dealing with those that victimize children or assault my Officers.
Of course, the REALITY is far different. In todays America, there are many legal standards that have to be met in regard to treatment of the Incarcerated population. These standards exist to ASSURE that we as a society treat people fairly and well. No, its not the Hilton, nor should it be.
As a wise, experienced Franklin County Officer used to say ” If you don’t like this Hotel, don’t make reservations”. ( Thanks Sonny!)
Those of you that are complaining about the food, and the home cooked meals are missing a huge piece of the equation: home cooked meals made from scratch save money and stretch the budget. It would be EASIER to feed the inmates processed foods, but also more expensive. Better food means better Inmate morale, an increased standard of behavior, less assaults, fewer uses if force, and therefore less lawsuits.
Lawsuits that are ultimately paid for by the Citizens….the Citizens that complain when we treat inmates “too well”. If YOUR friend or relative were incarcerated here, how would YOU want them treated?
Furthermore, what is disturbing is that apparently, there is something WRONG with doing your job WELL. With all the carrying on about waste and abuse at all levels of government, I’d think that Citizens would be PLEASED that we have a facility that runs FAR closer to its budget that other Jails in the State, with employees that are active and involved with their profession and not merely collecting a paycheck.
Also consider that its NOT all about the inmates. Corrections is generally nasty, stressful, thankless work. Corrections officers deal with people when they are at their worst moments, when they are out of control, suicidal, intoxicated, violent, assaultive, verbally abusive, and manipulative. They see people at rock bottom, when the social programs that are supposedly designed to help these people fail. They have to deal with body fluids, feces, and other things people do not talk about. I could tell you things that have happened right here at FCJ that you would not believe.
These conditions OFTEN lead to burnout, and officer turnover. Those officers need to be replaced, and replacing an officer costs the citizen MORE money in training and overtime costs. THEN the new Officer is often not as effective as the more experienced Officer until he is seasoned.
What we have now is a crew of Certified, Seasoned, and Engaged Officers at Franklin County Detention Center. The average citizen will never understand the savings that brings . Like the Chinese proverb” if you cannot be thankful for what you have experienced, be thankful for what you have avoided.”
Ignorance of the non-occurrence, in other parlance.
Also, I ask, what is wrong with trying to create a POSITIVE correctional work environment? People are as happy with life as they make up their minds to be, and we choose to be proactive and forward thinking.
Instead of SETTLING lawsuits at the expense of the Citizen, we PREVENT the lawsuit in the first place.
We are not perfect, but the next time you read about some corrupt Corrections Officer having sex with inmates, or dealing suboxone, or assisting with an escape, you, as a Citizen of Franklin county, can feel damn proud it is NOT your local Jail.
Sheriff Scott Nichols, Doug Blauvelt, Raymond Lee, Lorna Nichols, Victoria Parker, my Sergeants, My Corporal and ALL my Officers are an invaluable resource with a collective corrections experience in the HUNDREDS of years.
The people of Franklin County owe them a tip of the hat. But the fact is that they are not the kind of people who will look for it, they are too busy doing their jobs, its just the kind of folks they are.
And, for those naysayers who think that I am aggrandizing: brush up on your physical fitness and come pick up an application, and we’ll see how you do.
Lt. John Donald
Franklin County Detention Center
Yeah! What John said!
Outstanding response Lt. Donald, thank you!
I worked at the Franklin County Jail (the old designation 😉) from 1974 to 1985, when I transferred to the road patrol. I was the Training Coordinator during the transition to the current jail building in 1983 and helped to develop the first written Policy and Procedure Manual for the Franklin County Sheriff’s Department under Sheriffs Pete Durrell and Don Richards. Later I spent 21 years as Probation/Parole Officer for Franklin County. My name used to be on a plaque in the jail lobby. 🙂 I know a few things about this subject.
I have to say that rarely have I seen such a thoughtful, well-written short description of modern, humane correctional operations and philosophy. John Donald’s professional attitude and the efforts of his staff will save the taxpayers of Franklin County money which will never be totaled because it will never have to be spent on legal damage settlements or inmate (and staff) medical expenses. My own experience has been that doing things this way is ultimatly less expensive, more effective, safer and more practical. It is also the right thing to do. Well done, sir. My congratulations to you and your staff. Keep up the good work!
Good response John. I get your point however it’s frustrating to read how are inmates are treated when you have kids right here in Franklin county going hungry.. the only good meal many kids get is at school or at town halls in the summer.. I just don’t think it’s right that inmates are eating better than our children… thanks for your comment.