BY CINDY SCHROEDER
The Cincinnati Enquirer
COVINGTON -- Kenton County Jailer Don Younger, under fire for a 1997 jail escape and the death of a diabetic prisoner, Wednesday blamed many of the jail's problems on a 1994 directive to cut his staff. The county's top official, however, disputed that claim.
Kenton County Judge-executive Rodney "Biz" Cain produced records that showed Mr. Younger agreed with a 1994 plan to consolidate four security control rooms into one, eliminating more than 12 jail employees.
According to minutes of a Feb. 14, 1995, Kenton Fiscal Court meeting, Commissioner Bernie Moorman asked Mr. Younger if he agreed with the jail improvement plan that called for the staff reductions. "Mr. Younger advised he had reviewed this and it was fine with him," the minutes said.
Mr. Younger, a Democrat who is running for re-election, said Wednesday that he recalled saying he was aware of the plan and its recommended staff cuts, but that he did not agree.
"Sometimes you're coerced into doing things that you don't agree with," he said. "I don't recall saying it was fine, but I may have said it, because it was the only thing I could say."
Disagreements between Kenton County's jailer and some county officials went public last month, when Mr. Cain, Kenton County Police Chief Mike Browning and others expressed concerns about jail operations and security. They pressed Mr. Younger to hire a director of operations. He refused.
Since then, a $50 million lawsuit has been filed against the county over the June 26 death of a 68-year-old prisoner. The suit contends James Franklin's cellmates were made to take care of the diabetic man, creating conditions a lawyer described as dirtier than his dog's kennel.
Citing the lawsuit, Mr. Younger declined to answer questions about Mr. Franklin's death Wednesday.
However, in an interview with InterMedia News Director Wes Wright, Mr. Younger said that many of his current problems could be traced back to 1994, when former Kenton County Judge-executive Clyde Middleton ordered him to cut 10 employees.
Saying the Kenton County Jail was overstaffed for its prisoner population, Mr. Middleton urged the jailer in an April 8, 1994, letter to "begin cutting staffing immediately."
Because the jailer is elected separately, county officials have no direct supervision over him. However, the fiscal court does control the jail's budget.
Mr. Younger said his staffing ultimately was reduced from 92 full-time employees and four part-time employees to 84 full-time employees, four fewer than he said he had agreed to.
"Eyes and ears can't be replaced by monitors," the jailer said.
He added the jail population averages from 153 percent to 162 percent of its capacity of 262 inmates, also contributing to its problems.
"Every jail in the state is overcrowded," Mr. Cain said. "But I don't think you hear of all these problems everywhere else."
Mr. Younger responded: "Maybe that's because they don't have the county police coming in every five minutes to look at their operation."
