By Howard Greninger
TERRE HAUTE — After an investigation of complaints at the Vigo County Juvenile Justice Center, the Vigo County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday transferred all authority over the detention center to Sheriff Jon Marvel.
The center’s executive director now will report directly to the county sheriff.
“I sit on the [juvenile center] advisory board, as any sheriff, as an automatic member. There were things I questioned and I went to commissioners about it and they felt they didn’t have time to properly supervise it like I do at the jail, with a jail administrator, a chief deputy and myself,” Marvel said.
Complaints include cameras in each cell, violating privacy. Plus the cameras were being monitored from the home of some officials of the center.
“The [center] director had good intentions for a more direct supervision of the inmates. But both myself as a board member and Hattie Sims, the executive assistant for the warden at the federal penitentiary, who is also on the board, told them they can’t do that,” Marvel said.
“You cannot 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year watch someone in their cell unless it is a suicide issue or a disciplinary issue. You can designate such a cell, but not watch every cell just to be watching them,” Marvel said.
Marvel said Lynn Austin, executive director of the center, told him the monitoring at home “was done to watch employees. That is absolutely not needed,” Marvel said. Those monitors were shut down last month.
Austin could not be reached for comment Thursday, with a message left on her voicemail and a message left with an office employee seeking comment.
Vigo County Commissioner Mike Ciolli said commissioners each received anonymous e-mails in late September from “Bob Smith,” questioning practices in the detention area at the juvenile center.
“You have some right to privacy. These things came from anonymous memos from someone named Bob Smith. We went over them with the director. I think it was just a lack of supervision, which I think is the biggest thing,” Ciolli said. “The sheriff suggested he oversee the center, so commissioners agreed to that.”
One e-mail, provided by Ciolli to the Tribune-Star, asked “why [center officials] are watching video feeds of the Juvenile Center from their home.
“Isn’t this a privacy issue? Hasn't anyone ever heard of hackers? When will someone hack their computer and have the video up on YouTube? This video should be viewable from the Juvenile Center and only the Juvenile Center. No one should be allowed to stream Live Video from that place,” the e-mail read.
Marvel said the cameras allowed people to see juveniles while using a toilet. “There may be a privacy infringement that we will be looking at. The [executive director] had gotten some wrong information about how to use the cameras,” Marvel said. “There will be no charges, nothing criminal, but there may be some concern liability-wise for the county.”
The sheriff said he plans to review the center’s budget, reviewing expenses from trips to food.
“I can use my food vendors to get a cheaper price, possibly, for food at the center and we can combine buying power for a lot of things, paper or pencil or whatever. My office has a much larger buying power,” Marvel said.
Employees also have expressed concern about center policies such as dress codes, the sheriff said, adding that he also plans to review employee policies at the center.
Howard Greninger can be reached at (812) 231-4204 or howard.greninger@tribstar.com
