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Belknap County corrections superintendent reports lower custody, new accreditation and ongoing facility repairs
Summary
Belknap County corrections Superintendent Michelle Shon reported the jail population had fallen since late January, described new programming and an accreditation achievement, and outlined ongoing facilities issues including locks, air conditioning and a camera migration.
Michelle Shon, superintendent of the Belknap County Department of Corrections, told commissioners the facility population had declined from 74 on Jan. 29 to about 65 following recent releases and transfers.
Shon said the facility currently reported about nine sentenced inmates, with several inmates housed out of county for behavioral issues and one at the state hospital. She said two people were on electronic monitoring through pretrial services, two were on work release and several people were participating in pretrial core and other programs.
The superintendent listed programming and staffing changes: the jail has added OSHA and forklift training available to inmates, moved from 10‑hour to 8‑hour staff shifts to maximize coverage, and had recent staff graduates — including three corrections nurses who completed the academy in 2024 and two officers who trained as Gracie defensive‑tactics instructors.
Shon told the board the facility earned accreditation from the National Commission on Correctional Health Care (NCCHC), an achievement she said the department had not previously obtained. “We accomplished our NCCHC health care accreditation,” Shon said; the accreditation will be valid for three years, she reported.
On infrastructure, Shon said the county has begun an evaluation of structural problems; a team was scheduled to visit the week of March 3. She reported a failing air conditioner in the server room that maintenance could no longer repair and ongoing lock reliability problems, noting many keys were not working and security keys cost about $20 each, a recent rekeying costing roughly $1,600.
Shon also described technical transitions: the jail’s new camera platform is being installed but migration has been slowed by difficulty obtaining data from the previous vendor, and new jail management software is live with help from neighboring counties that have already implemented the platform.
The superintendent described case management work to obtain identification and benefits for people leaving custody and said the corrections staff are participating with county recovery court and an upcoming mental health court.
Commissioners asked questions about facilities and staffing; Shon said she would continue to coordinate evaluations and budget planning for needed repairs and equipment replacements.
No formal action was taken on the report.
