Committee seeks inmate input on design; drafts focus‑group questions but asks for edits

The Justice Project Oversight and Planning Committee on Jan. 16 advanced a plan to gather input from people with lived experience in the county jail, and members recommended revisions to the proposed focus‑group questions and process.

Marty (committee staff) and Caleb Erickson outlined an approach: two to three small focus groups of six to nine participants each, 90‑minute sessions, and a tablet survey distributed to anyone in custody who wishes to respond. Participants would receive an informational video (a Franklin County tour clip) and the focus‑group questions in advance so they could reflect before attending.

Why it matters: Committee members said meaningful input from people who will be affected by the new facility is essential to design decisions — especially decisions that bear on daily life, safety and access to services.

Draft questions and committee feedback

The draft included seven open questions about feelings of safety, daily routines, services that would help reentry, privacy and housing preferences. Committee members recommended changes to make questions more concrete and accessible:

- Use plain language and avoid technical terms such as “reentry” without explanation. One member suggested rephrasing question 6 to ask, “What services would help you when you leave custody?” - Break broad questions (for example about safety and housing) into sub‑items so respondents can evaluate specifics (sleeping arrangements, bathroom privacy, number of people in a pod, supervision, noise). A member suggested asking first about ways participants currently feel unsafe, then ask about possible design changes that would increase safety. - Collect basic demographic information and track whether focus‑group participants reflect the jail population; committee staff said the later tablet survey would include a demographic module. - Provide the video and questions at least a day in advance so participants have time to reflect and prepare. - Plan to report results back to participants to show how input is used.

Process and safeguards

Staff said applicants would be screened for group readiness and stability and that selection would try to produce representative groups among those who volunteer. The focus‑group results would be shared with the owner’s representative and the design team to inform both the physical layout and the services planned for the new facility.

Next steps

Committee members asked staff to refine the questions (making them more concrete and plain‑language), set procedures for screening and recruiting representative participants, and confirm a timeline that coordinates with the owner’s‑rep contract and subsequent public forums. Marty said the group will coordinate the focus groups and possible inmate survey timing with the owner’s representative and return updated materials at a future meeting.