Montgomery County Detention Center
Rockville Neighborhood Advisory Committee

 
ATTENDANCE
Gloria Paul – Community Member, Carol Orwant – Community Member – Potomac Woods, Bill Novak – Architect – Department of Correction and Rehabilitation, Dwayne Jenkins – Neighborhood Resources Coordinator – City of Rockville, Deputy Warden James L. Jones – MCDC, Warden, William L. Smith – MCDC, Arthur M. Wallenstein – Director – DOCR, and Kelli Ray – OSC – DOCR.

INTRODUCTIONS
Warden Smith welcomed the group.

DISCUSSION OF MEMBERSHIP AND ANY VACANCIES
Dwayne Jenkins would like to send another message around to all Neighborhoods adjacent to the Montgomery County Detention Center. The Department would like more participation and the committee to come out to the meetings, but we understand that at this time there are no major issues.

STATUS REPORT OF MCDC REUSE PLANNING
The reuse project is in the program validation process. That is to include services from the Detention Center, the police department, the citizens and the City of Rockville. This processes it to make sure that the areas in the POR are where these sections should be during the construction phase. After the program validation process, the architects will design a format. In about a month, there will be a sketch to show where the sections will be. All sections and areas that are in the POR will be the only sections during the reuse. There will be no adding other departments or so on. The only changes that can be made are simple changes, such as, 3 rooms instead of 2 rooms in a certain section. If the Reuse Project stays on schedule, we should go for bid as early as next year. There will be no construction until spring of 2005. The turnaround time for a bid is 60 days then a contract in 30 days.

COUNTY BUDGET PROCESS – SAVINGS PLAN (04) AND NEW BUDGET (05) 
The Budget for the entire County is not well off. Our Department has taken some cuts in position. None of these positions are Correctional Officer positions. Safety to the committee is our number one priority.

DEPARTURE OF MARK PENTZ AS CITY MANAGER/ROCKVILLE 
Mr. Mark Pentz has resigned form the City of Rockville and will be working for another County in another State. He was a super person and worked very well with the Department of Correction and Rehabilitation.

FACILITY OPERATIONS AND COMMENTS 
The Montgomery County Detention Center is running as normal. We are still holding inmates for 72 hours before they are either released or transported to the Montgomery County Correctional Facility. On occasion prisoners are held longer than 72 hours to facilitate efficient transportation by the Sheriff’s deputies and the business on a particular day. During late 2003 we held prisoners beyond 72 hours as our population rose and we neared a decision on opening another housing unit at MCCF/Clarksburg. We would not have advanced this issue based on a spike so we watched the population carefully and when it became clear that we needed the unit every day we advanced the issue to the OMB and the County Executive who approved our request and so did the County Council. We have opened the new unit at MCCF and hired 6 additional staff members to operate it 24/7 and have returned to seeking to adhere to the 72 hour guideline. MCDC holds up to forty (40) Federal inmates daily. This agreement with the Federal Bureau helps the department gain money to save positions. The Federal inmates that come to MCDC are Con-air inmates waiting to be transported throughout the Country. There crimes are no more severe then the inmates we hold from our jurisdiction. The revenue generated from holding Federal inmates has increased from $64.00 dollars a day per inmate to $80.00 dollars a day per inmate and helped DOCR avoid serious layoffs during the county budget difficulties as revenue was calculated against target reductions. This was very positive for public safety – we took no security staff reductions due to the revenue generated from holding federal prisoners who short periods of time. Deputy Warden James L. Jones walks the facility twice a day to check on the Federal inmates. About once or twice a year, the count for inmate population may not be accurate. Therefore we call the City of Rockville to notify them. When the count is not accurate, we go through the count over and over until the count is accurate to the records that are kept for inmate movement. There has been one (1) improper release since last meeting. A prisoner was held for one additional day and was released immediately upon recalculation of the release date.

COMMUNITY ISSUES, CONCERNS OR RELATED MATTERS 
Once an inmate is release from Court, that inmate is free to go where ever they want. Most inmates will take a cap from the Court to the Detention Center since the Public Defenders Office is handing out Taxi Vouchers. We thank our colleague Paul DeWolfe, Chief Public Defender for the efforts of his staff in Court has encouraged more prisoners to accept the vouchers and use the cab to return to the jail (MCDC) to collect their possessions. We continue to disagree respectfully with the current policy (10 years) of release to the street from Court but we did not prevail on our efforts to change the policy. It is a matter that remains as a primary public safety concern but on this matter there was a professional disagreement and the courts have primary jurisdiction and we must accept their decision in this matter. Again a special note of thanks to the Public Defenders for their effort to encourage released prisoners to return to the Jail by cab rather than walk through the streets of Rockville. At times and inmate may decide that he/she would like to walk back. There is nothing we can do about an inmate that has been released from Court walking through the City of Rockville. We try our best to have them take a taxi, but we can’t make them once they are free. Mr. Wallenstein stated that Bill Novak is completely dedicated to the Reuse Project. He did superior work in completing the construction of MCCF (Project Manager) and we know he will do a splendid job in the planning and design development/bid phase of MCDC ReUse.

MEETING FOR THE FUTURE April 22, 2004 July 15, 2004 October 14, 2004 January 20, 2005 Next Meeting: July 29, 2008, 7:30a.m.