Come see what life is like inside the jail

All residents in Bourbon County will have the opportunity to spend some time in the Southeast Kansas Regional Correction Center during an open house from 2 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 18.

Bourbon County Sheriff Bill Martin and SEKRCC Jail Administrator Bobby Reed are hosting the open house as a way to educate the public on the condition of the facility, working conditions for the officers and the need for a new facility.

The county is in the beginning stages of promoting a bond issue, which will most likely be repaid with sales tax revenue. The county has hired Piper Jaffray of Leawood as its financial advisor for the project and Patron Insight of Stillwell to conduct a community survey to determine what issues must be addressed with the community. Martin said county officials will review the survey questions some time this month. Residents will be asked to participate in a 15-minute phone survey during the first or second week of December.

Martin said the company will not ask for any personal information, such as birth dates or social security numbers.

"If you get a call like that, it's most likely a scam," Martin said.

As part of the education phase, residents will be able to get a first-hand look at the jail. Many inmates, but not all, will be moved to counties throughout southeast Kansas in order to give the public access to more of the jail, Martin said.

"The public is encouraged to come through and see the condition of the jail and how the process works whenever law enforcement brings in an arrest -- the issues that law enforcement and corrections officers face daily," Martin said.

The public will see a multi-use area, which serves as the booking area, processing area, video court and nurses station.

"Which is questionable about HIPAA," Martin said.

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 protects individuals' medical information.

"It's also an observation area, all within the confines of one room," Martin said. "It should be a minimum of four different areas."

Some of the cells will also be available for viewing.

Martin said he hopes the open house will also answer questions he's heard about the possibility of remodeling the existing facility. There are concrete walls that cannot be removed without jeopardizing the integrity of the building structure, he said.

"It's basically to get people to come in and look, then go out and have discussions with other people either at work or at home at the dining room table or just in general with friends and family, now that they've actually experienced the sights and smell and working operations of the facility,"Martin said.

Because there will still be some inmates in the facility during the open house, attendees will be asked to leave all backpacks and purses in their vehicles. They may carry their keys inside, but they will go through a security check with a metal detector wand. No cameras will be allowed, so cell phones will not be allowed inside.

Some of the cell areas will be open for public viewing.

He said visitors will be able to see the working environment for a correctional officer, and what safety issues there are for the officers and inmates.

"It's the working and living environment for the COs and inmates," Martin said. "As the sheriff, I am obligated to provide a safe environment for inmates and COs."

Martin said visitors will be able to see how outdated the facility is, as it is considered a Generation One, possibly Generation Two jail. The generation level is based on the jail's design. The proposed facility will have a central control booth, where officers can observe inside the pods in any direction. There is no line of sight for officers in a Generation One or Two jail because there are too many obstructions in the way, Martin said.

"We have to rely on video cameras," he said.

Martin is passionate about the project, which he said he has been working on for the past four years.

"I inherited this by becoming the sheriff," he said. "I'm not complaining, by any means. I take on this responsibility. It's a major challenge that I love. I hope it's going to be where we can get going."

Discussion about the need for a new jail began in 2003 or 2004.

"Ten years later, we're still talking about the condition of the jail and how we need a new one and how we're going to be able to get one," Martin said.