In August 1982, the Mentor Police Department moved from Hopkins Road to the current facility on Civic Center Boulevard. This new multi-million dollar facility enabled the Police Department to expand. Part of this expansion was the institution of the Mentor Municipal Jail. At the time, the jail was one of the newest and most modern facilities in the State of Ohio.
Prior to August 1982, the Department maintained a two cell, four-hour holding facility in the basement of the old station, relying heavily on the Lake County Jail to house all long -term prisoners.
When the Department moved to the new facility, the police department gained a five-day holding facility with ten individual cells, two court holding cells, detoxification cell, holding cell, prisoner showers, laundry room, kitchen area, visiting rooms, interview room, sally port, and a jail office booking area. At that time the Mentor Police Department began to sever itself from the high costs and dependency on the Lake County Jail.
The Mentor Jail became a 12-Day facility on July 1, 2005. The 5-Day Jail Classification ceased to exist on July 1, 2005, and all the previous 5-Day Jails now fall under the new 12-Day Jail Classification.
Prisoner Care
Once a prisoner arrives at the jail he or she is processed. Personal identifying information is obtained, questionnaires filled out, rules explained, and personal property inventoried. They are fingerprinted and photographed.
The corrections unit is responsible for the safety and security of all prisoners. Medical conditions, meals, clothing, visitation, and work release are all monitored by the staff.
Mentor City Jail has continued to maintain effective per day housing costs by good food service management and prisoner work assignments.
Prisoners are occasionally held for other law enforcement agencies or until they are able to post a bond to insure their appearance into court. Upon release from the facility, corrections officers process them out, and in some cases, accept bond to be forwarded to the court.
The Mentor Jail was recently equipped with a TIP phone system which allows prisoners to make collect calls to friends and family from their cells.
Department of Youth Services Bureau
The Corrections unit is also responsible for the processing and security of juvenile offenders when brought to the Mentor Police Department. Strict rules regulate the handling, processing, and segregation of juvenile offenders.
Quarterly reports are forwarded to the Ohio Department of Youth Services Bureau of Community Based Programs to show that Mentor City Jail is in compliance in holding juveniles, as required by the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act.
Staffing
The Mentor City Jail is staffed 24 hours per day by six full-time correction officers. Joseph Samac was promoted as supervisor of the unit in 2010. These officers are trained specifically in the area of corrections. Training includes a minimum 40 hours of Correction Officer training through the State of Ohio, along with numerous hours of in-house training in policies and procedures. Correction Officers are also certified by the Department of Health, Bureau of Alcohol and Drugs, as Senior Operators for the BAC Datamaster.
Jail Inspections
Mentor City Jail has continued to comply with current jail standards that are mandated by the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, Bureau of Adult Detention.
Since 1982, the Mentor City Jail has been in compliance with State Jail Inspections.
In 1992, the Ohio Bureau of Adult Detention’s Compliance Achievement Program was started. Since 1992, the beginning of the Ohio Bureau of Adult Detention’s Compliance Achievement Program, Mentor City Jail has received full 100% compliance on jail inspections. The Mentor Jail is also inspected yearly by the Lake County Department of Health and the Mentor Fire Department.
In-house jail inspections and searches are performed weekly and include full inspection of the cells, bedding supplies, dayrooms, showers, security devices, visual inspection of sprinkler heads, heat detectors, emergency evacuation signs, cameras, audio monitors and sanitation.
Hours and Rules for Visitation
Prisoners may be visited by their attorney or a member of the clergy at reasonable times. All personal visits are limited as follows: from 6:00 P.M. to 8:00 P.M, seven days a week. A prisoner may have one 20 minute visit by one adult (over age 18) in a 72 hour period. Visitors must provide a photo identification card prior to being admitted to the visitation room.
