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i hope lots of community members turn out to today’s jail board meeting to show support for a vote to stop the jail’s current practice of voluntary ICE notifications BUT if too many people come, the meeting overflow area is outside and it’s literally ICY 🌬❄️
so, please come but get there early if you need to ensure you’ll be seated inside & dress warmly. i’m bringing a blanket & some extra hand warmers.
this was just about a year ago — the board voted last january (while i watched from the freezing outdoor overflow area) to do nothing about the current policy. come on out to the jail (it’s literally at the jail) at 12:30 to see if they can do better.
headed off to the jail now. here’s the thread from the last meeting, in november 2018.
one civic engagement, please.
(this is the first time i’ve ever sat inside for a jail board meeting! being able to see & hear & also not be exposed to the weather will probably improve the experience, but being inside the jail is not exactly des
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(this is the first time i’ve ever sat inside for a jail board meeting! being able to see & hear & also not be exposed to the weather will probably improve the experience, but being inside the jail is not exactly des
U0N2FBgqboard chair diantha mckeel just called the meeting to order. it’s not a packed house today, unlike past meetings. it’s hard to maintain public interest on a vote that’s been kicked down the road for a year.
the city council rep to this board, wes bellamy, isn’t in attendance today - he’s stuck out of town at a faculty meeting. i almost hope there isn’t a vote today, as he’s been one of the board’s most vocal opponents of the ICE notification policy.
mckeel says there was a technological glitch at the november meeting (the last meeting of the board) and the meeting was not recorded.
starting off with public comment. first woman starts off by acknowledging our police & is dismayed there was no community event honoring law enforcement appreciation day yesterday.
she says she spoke at the last meeting about “illegals” “committing crimes in our community.” she’s obviously in favor of the policy.
“if they wanted a better life for themselves, there is a legal way for them to enter this country.”
“if they wanted a better life for themselves, there is a legal way for them to enter this country.”
she says if they’re in jail, it’s because they committed a crime. (this isn’t necessarily true.)
“these illegals need to be returned to their countries.”
she’s talking about “angel moms and angel dads” - parents of people killed by “illegals.”
“these illegals need to be returned to their countries.”
she’s talking about “angel moms and angel dads” - parents of people killed by “illegals.”
the chair gently asks her to wrap up, as she’s well over time.
in more ways than one, her time is up.
in more ways than one, her time is up.
next speaker is talking about the children who have died or been sexually abused in ICE custody.
ICE has said they can’t be held liable for sexual abuse in their facilities because they don’t fall under the same jurisdictions that govern state & federal prisons.
ICE has said they can’t be held liable for sexual abuse in their facilities because they don’t fall under the same jurisdictions that govern state & federal prisons.
“who are your constituents? who are you representing here?” she asks the board. she says she got hundreds of signatures on a petition against the policy. this community largely opposes voluntary ICE notifications.
“there are documented human rights abuses”
“there are documented human rights abuses”
the next speaker approaches the podium with his young daughter. he is opposed to the policy.
in may 2013, a relative of his, a permanent resident, was charged with a misdemeanor. she served 40 days here at ACRJ. “she made a mistake and she paid for that mistake.”
in may 2013, a relative of his, a permanent resident, was charged with a misdemeanor. she served 40 days here at ACRJ. “she made a mistake and she paid for that mistake.”
“it’s hard for me to tell this story” about how ICE has impacted his family.
as his relative completed rehabilitation for her crime, they were told ICE may contact them...
as his relative completed rehabilitation for her crime, they were told ICE may contact them...
at 6am on feb 2, 2014 he was awoken by ICE beating on his door. he thought he was being robbed when he saw an armed man outside his home. so he called the police and hid his family in the closet.
this happened in my neighborhood.
this happened in my neighborhood.
“the protocols of ICE are the concern.”
“it’s unfair for ICE to be allowed” to use these tactics against people who’ve not committed violent crimes, he says.
he had more to say, but ran out of time.
“it’s unfair for ICE to be allowed” to use these tactics against people who’ve not committed violent crimes, he says.
he had more to say, but ran out of time.
next speaker urges them to stop or limit ICE notifications.
“whether they pick someone up doesn’t seem to have anything to do” with the severity of the (alleged) crime. it’s random. it’s minor misdemeanors. people who haven’t even been convicted.
“whether they pick someone up doesn’t seem to have anything to do” with the severity of the (alleged) crime. it’s random. it’s minor misdemeanors. people who haven’t even been convicted.
“not a single one of your jurisdictions voted for corey stewart in november,” the speaker tells the board (made up of representatives from charlottesville, albemarle, and nelson county)
(stewart is an anti immigrant white supremacist who lost the senate race in november)
(stewart is an anti immigrant white supremacist who lost the senate race in november)
far less public comment than past meetings. moving right along with the rest of the meeting now.
a bill has been introduced into the va house that would require jails to notify ICE when an undocumented person is released. the policy is currently entirely voluntary.
now a presentation about the financials - budget season is upon us.
net income is estimated at $300,000
(jails. should. not. make. money.)
gonna try to find a copy of this report later.
net income is estimated at $300,000
(jails. should. not. make. money.)
gonna try to find a copy of this report later.
this proposed budget takes out the “dollar a day inmate charge” (gross, i didn’t realize ACRJ had this policy) - does that mean they’re getting rid of it? that’s an improvement. it’s cruel & hurts the most vulnerable members of the community.
during this presentation i’ve been trying to find the bill the lawyer alluded to earlier — anybody familiar with the proposed legislation in question? it’s possible i misheard him and it’s a US house bill, not VA?
i’m browsing the state’s bill tracking system instead of keeping y’all posted on how jailers are being compensated for unused vacation time because how petty tyrants are rewarded for hurting members of my community is of no interest to me.
$3.6million in operating costs!! for our local jail!
(more than half of the folks incarcerated here serve sentences of under 90 days - so we aren’t spending that money holding hardened, violent criminals.)
(more than half of the folks incarcerated here serve sentences of under 90 days - so we aren’t spending that money holding hardened, violent criminals.)
there’s been a $156k increase in pharmaceutical costs - the presenter says inmates are getting sicker. (my note: probably due to the general population having inadequate access to healthcare. many inmates are likely getting healthcare in jail for the first time in a long time.)
imagine if we spent those millions supporting the community, lifting people out of poverty, providing healthcare and education, instead of perpetuating the cycle of poverty and violence & tearing families apart by locking people up for nonviolent crimes.
a board member asks why inmates are coming in sicker. jail superintendent kumer says they don’t know, but there has been an increase in HIV positive inmates (although i believe HIV infection rate is DOWN overall & below state avg locally?)
kumer says mental illness is also a primary contributor to the cost of medications. this may be due to more frequent screening (because it’s now required by law) - they’re identifying more mental illness, thus spending more treating it.
our local jail is probably not unique in this
they’re still working out the kinks in the VINE notification system - the board will hear an update about it at the next meeting in march.
now an update about video visitation... there will be a more thorough update in march about whether they will continue working with the current vendor or put it back out for another bid.
oh god it sounds like they’re trying to transition to a setup where ALL visitation is via video?! so people can’t even be close to their loved ones? supt kumer says they’ve had people “try and drill holes in the glass to smuggle contraband”
addressing a fairly insignificant issue but one that has bothered me: info about the jail board has previously only been online on albemarle county’s website, which is misleading because it’s a multi jurisdictional board. they’re getting their own website soon.
action item: elimination of the dollar a day fee
kumer: state law allows them to charge inmates up to $3/day
ACRJ has been charging $1/day since the early 2000s.
kumer: state law allows them to charge inmates up to $3/day
ACRJ has been charging $1/day since the early 2000s.
kumer says it’s to offset the cost of incarceration
they currently collect about half of the money
he argues that inmates don’t pay it - their families do. and he thinks their families will send the money to their loved ones with the fee abolished
they currently collect about half of the money
he argues that inmates don’t pay it - their families do. and he thinks their families will send the money to their loved ones with the fee abolished
“i do believe we will see our commissions increase” on phone & commissary, says supt kumer re: abolishing the daily fee charged to inmates.
inmates who are in the work release program are exempt from the $1 a day fee... but they are charged an $8 (daily?) room and board fee that is deducted from their pay?!
kumer says some jails will go after inmates after their release to recoup the daily fees, send it to collections, etc, but ACRJ does not do this
he says he recently saw a woman put $10 into the machine & say “now my son can call me”
“i knew right then her son was not gonna be able to call her,” he says, knowing that money would be deducted to pay his daily fee instead.
“i knew right then her son was not gonna be able to call her,” he says, knowing that money would be deducted to pay his daily fee instead.
van clief asks why we’re not getting rid of the $8 fee charged to inmates who are working. why are people who work being charged more than people who can’t?
inmates in the work release program are not only charged $8/day for room & board, but they have to pay for their own drug tests. it sounds like they probably end up paying to work? there’s no way they end up pocketing any of the money they make.
new board member kristin clarens wants to see more information on the commissions the jail makes on phone & commissary spending. kumer clarifies they aren’t upping the % of the commission, but they think they’ll make more if more family contributions go into commissary vs fees
kumer clarifies again that he doesn’t think the increase in earnings on commissions will wash out the loss of he $1/day & the proposed budget doesn’t assume ANY increase to offset the loss.
so this proposed change would eliminate the $1/day charge to inmates. but work release & trustee inmates (ones who work here in the facility) already don’t pay the $1/day... they’re exempt from THAT, but are charged $8/day under another policy.
there is no proposal on the table to eliminate the fees charged to inmates in the work release & trustee programs.
steve carter, the representative from nelson county, seems to be the only person at the table vocally in favor of continuing to charge inmates $1/day to be in jail.
“there is a human element here. a benefit to the community,” says lawton tufts, a citizen representive on the board in response to steve’s confusion about why we wouldn’t want to wring every last cent out of incarcerated people.
kumer’s motivation is, in his mind, humanitarian. he doesn’t think “people who’ve done nothing wrong” should have to bear the cost. he says inmates don’t pay, their families do.
van clief is still not happy with the $8/fee for inmates on work release. it makes sense when you consider kumer’s motivation - the inmate pays this out of their wages, the burden isn’t on what they keep calling “the community.”
(incarcerated workers ARE part of our community!)
(incarcerated workers ARE part of our community!)
steve carter says he needs more time to think about it & that he would abstain if they took a vote now.
even if they voted today, the policy wouldn’t take effect until july.
even if they voted today, the policy wouldn’t take effect until july.
no vote on this today, then. they’ll pick up this discussion in march.
4000 people come through ACRJ every year. mckeel asks how many of those are undocumented?
kumer says maybe 40-50, less than 1%.
kumer says maybe 40-50, less than 1%.
the jail currently makes about $300,000 per year in commissions on inmate phone calls.
interim city manager mike murphy is proposing some vague compromise that involves keeping the dollar a day fee, but not restricting family contact for inmates who are unable to pay
van clief says maybe if they dropped the absurdly high prices of commissary items, inmates would be able to afford both ramen & the daily fee. mckeel seems to think she’s being ridiculous & adjourns the meeting.
