It’s been a busy first three months for Bristol County Sheriff Paul Heroux as he continues to get acclimated to his new job.
During an interview this week the sheriff says he feels he’s already established a good working relationship with staff. An immediate priority is filling the 100 to 200 openings for correctional officers.
There is an incentive program underway to recruit and retain correctional officers that includes a $5,000 signing bonus.
Sheriff Heroux says replacing 25-year incumbent Sheriff Tom Hodsgon has led to what he sees is a reluctance by some employees to embrace change.
The sheriff says his interactions with inmates have been respectful and he aims to answer all their questions. A search is underway for a Director of Inmate Services who will coordinate all aspects of inmate relations.
The sheriff has also been focused on making renovations and consolidations at the county’s jails in Dartmouth and Ash Street in New Bedford. In Dartmouth, the sheriff says there are inadequate safety measures that need attention.
The sheriff earlier this year indicated he wants to examine shuttering the over-century-old Ash Street Jail in New Bedford. The campus in Dartmouth can handle the inmate influx, but not without infrastructure modifications, some of which could cost upwards of $10 million.
The sheriff says the planned upgrades to securing cells in Dartmouth may provide an affordable opportunity to centralize prison services.
The sheriff will likely need financial support from the legislature, but for only around $350,000, to renovate space to transfer the regional lock-up operation from New Bedford to Dartmouth.
There are approximately 700 inmates housed in county jails. If outfitted and staffed fully, the Dartmouth jail can host 1,400 inmates.
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