June 13, 1998
Jail might advertise for inmates
By Jefferson Wolfe
Staff Writer
The Seneca County Jail population is down because of recent jail openings in surrounding counties, but the county is continuing efforts to keep the population -- and the money -- flowing.
According to the Sheriff's Office report for May, released by consultant Robert Wagner, the average jail population for May was 91 inmates. But as that month ended and June began, Sheriff H. Weldin Neff said, the population was down to between 60-70 inmates.
Neff said his office is looking into two potential sources for prisoners: other counties and the federal government.
''We are preparing a brochure which will detail the facility here,'' he said. ''Something which we can hand out to interested clients.''
The brochure is to include pictures of and information about the Seneca County Jail, Neff said.
Wagner, a former Seneca County sheriff and federal marshal, is to go to the federal marshals' office in Cleveland in the next few weeks to inquire about housing federal prisoners.
Neff said the federal marshal's office normally rents space in a jail, which must be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Even if there are no prisoners, the jail is paid for holding space.
''It gives you some pretty reliable income,'' he said.
As to other sources, Neff said Montgomery County has expressed the most interest in using the Seneca County Jail. That county is interested in space for domestic violence offenders, he said.
''Somehow, they wanted to keep those people separate from the existing population,'' he said.
Marion County also has expressed some interest, he said.
The other counties, or federal marshals, would transport the prisoners, Neff said.
''Anything else would have to be negotiated,'' he said.
Neff said it is becoming difficult to keep the jail population up because of new facilities in Lorain and Huron counties and another due to open soon in Crawford County.
The cost of housing prisoners is comparable in most of the state's jails, so it is up to jail officials to market the facility, he said.