RICHMOND — Problems occur inside Indiana's county jails.
An extensive Indy Star project titled "Death Sentence" reported 306 deaths since 2010 in the state's county jails and lockups, including two in Wayne County's jail.
It identified a variety of issues within the jails; some are areas the local jail experiences and some are areas in which Wayne County surpasses many in the state.
“I don’t want people in Wayne County to be misled that this jail is a bad jail, because as jail’s go, it’s not,” Commissioner Ken Paust said. “We do have an exceedingly good jail here, and we’re one of very few jails in the state of Indiana that are certified.”
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During 2017, the jail, which also undergoes regular Indiana Department of Correction inspections, became accredited by the National Institute for Jail Operations, earning Level 1 accreditation during 2019. The accreditation process ensured the jail has a system of polices and procedures based on current legal standards and best practices. Sheriff Randy Retter said other jails do not have such a system.