Putnam County Jail

The Putnam County Jail is located in Greencastle, Indiana. It houses approximately 145 adult men and women. The jail houses three categories of inmates: county inmates awaiting trial, county inmates serving sentences of less than one year, and inmates from the Indiana Department of Correction who have been placed in the jail to relieve overcrowding in state prisons.

History

The original Putnam County Jail dates back to 1836 when Isaac Mahan, Wesley White and Hudson Brackney were directed to build a new jail. This jail was completed in 1840. It lasted until the early 1930’s. A new jail was built under the supervision of a former superintendent of the famous Alcatraz Prison. This jail was completed in 1939 and had similar locking mechanisms to Alcatraz. ["Putnam County's New Jail." The Daily Banner 22 July 1939.] It lasted until the early 1990’s when Sheriff Gerry Hoffa reported that due to problems concerning overcrowding, Putnam County needed a new jail. [Meyer, Lisa. "Initial Signs of Jail Construction Likely Next Week." Banner Graphic.] A new 5.6 million dollar jail was constructed in December 1995. ["Putnam County's New Jail." The Daily Banner 22 July 1939.]

Administration

The jail is run by the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office. The current sheriff is Mark Frisbie.

Physical Layout of the Jail

The Putnam County Jail has eight cells blocks radiating from a central control area. These eight blocks have cells on each side that run along the walls facing each other. There are also dormitories that inmates live in. There is also one female dormitory which can hold 12 inmates.

Programs

The Putnam County Jail offers a variety of programs. One of these is the G.E.D. program, which allows inmates to take courses and obtain their high school diploma. The jail also provides its inmates with Thinking for a Change; this program is run by the local Community Corrections and helps inmates improve upon their overall decision-making skills.

Contract with Department of Corrections

The Putnam County Jail works with the Department of Corrections (DOC) and takes in some of their inmates due to overcrowding problems. Although the number varies daily, there are approximately 80 DOC inmates in the jail. The DOC pays Putnam County $35 per day for every inmate they hold there.

Meth and Drug Busts

The prevalence of drugs, primarily methamphetamine and marijuana, has resulted in huge drug busts for the Putnam County Law Enforcement. The jail is run by Putnam County Sheriff’s office. [Meyer Trigg, LIsa. "Sheriff Enlists Daniels' Help on Meth." Banner Graphic. ] This means that any money seized through drug busts is given to a drug task force to help battle this growing drug problem. Recently, huge drug busts have been made, directly resulting from the drug industry shifting more towards rural areas rather than the urban setting. On June 17, 2004, police in Putnam County successfully seized over 149 pounds of marijuana and over $1,000 in cash from two men traveling on Interstate 70. [Callahan, Amanda. "149 Pounds of Marijuana Seized.: Banner Graphic 17 June 2004.

References