Feb 22, 2015 3 min read

At last week’s Greene County Prison Board meeting, Warden Harry Gillispie released a statistical overview of the jail’s operations for 2014.

The comprehensive report showed there were 630 jail commitments in 2014, 248 fewer than in 2013 when 878 people were jailed for a host of offenses.

We would like to believe the reason for the lower number of incarcerations is because fewer crimes were committed. That’s the logical conclusion. On the other hand, it is more than likely that punishments other than time behind bars were being imposed.

And we have no argument with imposing alternative punishments for those who in past years might have been sentenced to jail for what are ultimately minor offenses. Yet the report revealed that the offense most likely to have led to a spell in a Greene County cell in 2014 was, of all things, contempt charges, such as failing to appear for a court date. Last year, 117 were jailed on bench warrants. But, in all fairness, some of those who failed to appear could have been charged with what most of us would classify as serious crimes. The report did not break down the nature of the contempt charges.

Additionally, we are unaware of how long any of the 117 people remained in jail, and we have a hunch they did not remain in lockup for long. Even as many people reflexively want to see lawbreakers locked away, it can be a costly prospect to do so. However, we are not suggesting that those facing criminal charges be treated with kid gloves to avoid jail time. Public safety is paramount, and serious crime needs to be taken seriously.

It also was somewhat surprising that leading the 2013 list was parole violations, resulting in 109 people serving time. Of course, parole violators originally could have been charged with driving under the influence, assault or any number of offenses. And if any of the parole violators were charged with such crimes, it is gratifying to see they were apprehended and made to pay for their wrongdoings.

In addition to listing the crimes for all those who were incarcerated in Greene in 2014, the report also tallies the costs. Last year, the jail collected $426,350 from Fayette County for housing its inmates; $9,260 from 21 inmates serving some type of weekend sentence and $47,544 from 21 inmates sentenced to work release. The jail turned over $25,784 in fines to the clerk of courts. It costs $88.25 a day to house one inmate, compared to $69.40 in 2013. But the cost per meal per day was $2.37, down from $2.88 in 2013. The latter, we feel, can be attributed to a new kitchen installed in the jail on Rolling Meadows Road.

We commend Gillispie and his staff for compiling this information and then making it available to the public. Operating a jail is indeed a complex operation. Now, we would like to see similar reports come from the Greene County Court of Common Pleas and an annual report from the coroner’s office.

If the county jail can keep the public informed, so can the courts and the coroner.