State jail czar to visit Sullivan

Just how much power does the Commission of Corrections have?

By FRITZ MAYER

MONTICELLO, NY — It’s a largely accepted fact of political life that Albany has a good deal of say about the proposed county jail. County officials have repeatedly made the point that if they don’t move forward to create a new $80 million facility in the not too distant future, the New York State Commission of Corrections (COC) can make life difficult.

The COC could, it has been said, order the existing jail padlocked on the grounds that, as the oldest operating jail in the state, the deteriorating conditions at the crumbling facility represent a health and safety threat to both the inmates and the guards who watch over them. If that were to happen, the cost of housing prisoners in other counties, and transferring them back and forth for court visits and other matters, would be prohibitive.

But, with at least one legislator saying the cost of the new jail would lead county officials to consider bankruptcy, would the COC really do that?

Sullivan County residents will have the chance to ask that question of COC chairman Thomas A. Beilein when he visits the Sullivan County Government Center on January 27, at 6:00 p.m. for a public meeting about the new building.

When the meeting was announced on December 30, county chairman Jonathan Rouis said, “As we continue to move forward with this jail process, we felt it was important to have the COC down to Sullivan County for a public meeting where legislators and the public can ask questions and have their opinions heard. Ultimately, we need the COC to support the most cost-effective solution that addresses the issues of safety and efficiency for our corrections officers.”

Legislator Kathleen M. LaBuda, who has been on the jail committee for at least seven years, said, “I think every resident should make an effort to attend this meeting. We know that Sullivan County cannot afford to build a brand new facility, and our residents need to come out and voice their opinions to chairman Beilein and help us convince the COC to repeal this unfunded mandate.”

Legislator Leni Binder, who is also a long-time member of the jail committee, said, “Although I have met with the chairman personally on various trips and understand his position, this meeting will give the public the opportunity to ask questions about the necessity of constructing a new facility, and our obligations to build the facility to strict specifications, and a chance to discuss their concerns with him directly.”

In recent months, many community members have questioned the need for a new jail, especially with the county struggling under the current economic recession. In October, the legislature voted to spend about $1.2 million for about 50 acres of land for the site of the new jail. Residents that live near the site on Old Route 17, just outside of Monticello, have been especially critical, saying that a preferable alternative would be to renovate the existing facility.

The position of the COC, in the past, has been that renovation is not a workable solution because of the small size of the lot that now holds the jail next to the county courthouse, and outdated technology, such as locks that are so old that replacement parts can only be found from the jail museums in neighboring counties.