Predictable outcome for triple-celling

The Hamilton County Commissioners, claiming the are unable to continue renting cells in neighboring Butler County’s jail, are asking the federal court to let them jam three miscreants to a cell in the Hamilton County Justice Center.

If the court says OK, and that is a big if, predicting how this will work out is as easy as saying night will follow day.

*Step 1 – The commissioners will say they have “no choice” and start triple-celling.

*Step 2 – The county will get sued on behalf of prisoners claiming cruel and unusual punishment.

*Step 3 – The court will decide the prisoners are right, the county will lose and end up paying prisoners and lawyers more than it saved by not paying Butler County.

The commissioners – Todd Portune and David Pepper anyway – claim they are looking at a deficit and can’t afford the Butler County rent. The only way out, they say, is to pass the half-cent sales tax increase that will fund an additional jail and significant (and badly needed) treatment and rehabilitation plans.

The triple-celling, they say, will just be temporary, until the tax hike passes or the come up with some other permanent solution.

Wait – didn’t they say there is no other permanent solution?

Commissioner Pat Dewine says there is another alternative – deeper cuts now that will cover the cost of the Butler County rent.

This is one where both sides are right. Cut the budget enough in the short term to pay the rent. The commissioners are having meetings Thursday and Friday to study the possibilities. They need to do more than study; they need to make the short-term cuts and keep the prisoners in Butler County. Then they need to make sure the tax increase passes – something that will be a lot more likely if Dewine gets behind it.

Putting three men in a cell will be a disaster. The Justice Center was designed for one person cells. It took a federal court order more than a decade ago to let them double-cell. Three to a cell will cause more fights among prisoners and problems for the guards.

There are people in this county -- people who don't have to work in jails -- who think it would fine to crowd prisoners in like sardines. They are wrong. The commissioners and the sheriff know better.

Putting three prisoners into the same cells will be like trying to put size 12-feet into size 9-shoes. It just won’t work.