McDonald County Sheriff: We don't mistreat the prisoners

(From the McDonald County Sheriff's Office)

While we usually do not respond to Social Media Posts, I decided after much consideration about doing just that.

If you have seen the video post of the inmates that are currently in the McDonald County Jail you can see the video was recorded from a video visitation that we have in the jail pods so that inmates may do video visitation with their family if they so choose. A person took a video of that and decided to post that video.

The Sheriff’s Office staff, both deputies and jailer, are going off of CDC guidelines and we all are doing everything we can to keep the staff safe and the inmate population safe.

We are screening individuals that do come into the jail whether they are visitors or staff. They are having their temperatures taken a couple of times a shift and logging all that information down.

The individuals in that cell pod advised that there are not enough cells. 

In that pod are 6 lockdown cells with 2 bunks in each cell and when this video was made there were only 8 inmates in that whole pod. They also state that they are being “held prisoners”. 

Yes, they are being held prisoners for crimes which they are accused of.

No, there are no murderers in that pod, but only 1 of the individuals in that pod is in there for misdemeanor warrants. 

All of the others are being held on felony charges and of them, most of the time it is not their first time in the criminal justice system.

They are fed three meals a day and those meals have been checked to make sure they have the number of calories that is needed. They are given cleaning supplies and are given 3 small bars of soap a week. They also get to watch TV, have phones where they may call family members and can send out letters to their family and attorneys.

We have never not allowed an attorney to come in and talk with them. We will be making the attorneys practice the same screening as any jailer when they do come in to visit and most of them visit through glass also.

I sincerely hope that this answers any of the questions that occured due to the video post.

Sheriff Michael Hall