Posted on Tue, Mar. 11, 2008
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$19 million computer system can't even count inmates
By MICHAEL A. BELL
mbell@sunherald.com
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GULFPORT --
But after spending $16 million of the $19 million it's been given, the MASP failed to launch a wireless network. And the jail management software, one of several computer applications offered by the project, is causing more headaches than it is saving time, county officials said."It's a piece of (expletive)," said Pauline Blackwell, a warrants officer at the jail.
"There's a lot of bugs with it," said Jackson County Sheriff Mike Byrd. "Sometimes it would go down and we couldn't book somebody."
Forrest County officials stopped using the system because of serious problems.
Other users say the software fails to accurately show an inmate's criminal record, frequently crashes and doesn't recognize a repeat offender's current mug shot, choosing the first one taken instead.
But the biggest gripe among users is not being able to run a query.
"That makes no sense," said Allen, the USM official in charge of the MASP. "We would not write something without a query (capability)."
Allen admits the software would be "useless" without such capacity.
But he said the problem has continued because his staff was never alerted.
"We always fix things if we know about it," he said.
For years, the Harrison County jail, with its faulty cell locks and no working surveillance, has come under intense scrutiny by federal and state authorities. One major problem is overcrowding.
To expedite mounds of criminal cases, the county in December 2006 opened its first public defender's office. Since then, county leaders often ask defenders such as Collums for a breakdown of the inmate population, commonly known as a "pop sheet." This helps gauge the turnover rate of getting inmates before a judge and out the door.
But if Collums can't run a query to see who's at the jail, it's hard for her to get them out.
In April, when the county was under a court order to reduce the jail population to 760, Collums spent every day except Easter with highlighters in hand.
The county didn't make it. State prison rights attorney Ron Welch eventually shut down the Cowan-Lorraine Road Work Center - which saves the county $2 million each year in labor costs - to move misdemeanor detainees from the jail into it. The center formerly housed state inmates who worked a variety of jobs in exchange for reduced sentences.
County officials say a Ukraine man - known only as George - is here on a temporary visa to work on the system. Brisolara said he is seeing progress and is confident that in 45 days, he'll have a system that is "up and running."
MICHAEL A. BELL
