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Ohio County jail chief cites grant-funded server, new radios and program growth
Summary
Jailer Landon Spurlock told the fiscal court the detention center used a $10,000 grant to buy a new server, added jail-only radios, increased deputy pay within the current budget and recovered about $22,000 in state reimbursements for inmate medical costs since 2024.
Landon Spurlock, jailer for the Ohio County Detention Center, briefed the fiscal court on July 14 about recent operations improvements funded without increasing county tax dollars.
Spurlock said, “Recently, we received a $10,000 grant... that allowed us to purchase a new server for our jail management system.” He told the court the server holds inmate files and booking records and links to other facility equipment; replacing it with grant funds avoids drawing on county dollars.
Spurlock also described communications and compensation changes: the county secured portable radios on a jail-only channel to avoid interfering with outside deputies and said deputy pay was increased through internal budget realignment rather than a budget increase, which the jailer called “a plus” for hiring and retention.
Budget and reimbursements: Spurlock said the jail has recovered about $22,000 from the state since 2024 for eligible inmate medical expenses and that he has submitted additional reimbursement requests for the current budget year.
Programs and reentry services: The jail has added volunteer-run parenting classes taught by Hope for Life and an in-jail pre-release class offered bimonthly; the jail also provides weekly religious services and addiction counseling. Spurlock described a plan to expand life-skills training and said eligible inmates participate in community work crews, which saved taxpayer dollars: “Last month, we picked up 191 bags of trash across Ohio County.”
Procurement and next steps: Spurlock said bids for the jail food-service contract will open next week; the court received the operational update and had no objection to procurement steps described.
The judge and several court members praised the jail staff for the improvements and the court recorded no formal vote on the jail update, which was presented as an informational item.
