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New warden named for jail
Corrections Corporation of America says the appointee is only a transitional figure, but one county official takes issue with that description.
By ANDREW J. SKERRITT
Published July 14, 2005
Bowing to pressure from Hernando County, Corrections Corporation of America has appointed a new warden to run the county jail.
Thomas "Denny" Durbin, longtime administrator of the Bay County Jail in Panama City, will take over as chief correctional officer at the jail. Arvil Chapman, who last month was appointed to replace warden Ellen Hawks, will serve as the assistant chief correctional officer, according to a July 5 letter CCA sent to County Administrator Gary Adams.
County officials had objected to Chapman because of his lack of experience in running a county facility.
Durbin has been the facility administrator of the Bay County Jail and Annex since 1987. Since December he has been warden for facility operations, monitoring other CCA institutions and assisting with other jail contracts.
Durbin was also a warden and corrections officer with the Texas Department of Corrections in the 1970s and '80s, according to his resume.
"We don't have a problem with him," said county director of purchasing and contracts Jim Gantt, who oversees Hernando's contract with CCA. "He's got umpteen years of experience."
Durbin is expected to begin his new job on July 25, said CCA spokesman Steven Owen.
"We looked around, and he was a person who had a wealth of experience with jails in Florida," said Owen. "It was a natural fit."
Owen said Durbin will work in a temporary capacity until county officials believe that Chapman is ready to take over the management role at the Hernando County Jail. No timetable has been set for the change.
"We think the assignment will be temporary until Hernando County is comfortable with Chapman," Owen said. "(Durbin) will transition back out and Chapman will return to his senior role once he is acclimated."
However, Gantt said that's not his understanding of the arrangement.
"Durbin will be in charge of the facility," Gantt said. "He is not being appointed as a temporary chief corrections officer."
CCA officials have not disclosed what led to warden Hawks' removal. Personnel records obtained from the Tennessee company show that Hawks had satisfactory performance, and did not hint of any problems that would have led to her dismissal. Hawks, 40, still works for CCA but has not yet been given a new assignment.
Chapman, formerly assistant warden at the Marion Adjustment Center in St. Mary, Ky., was named warden of the Hernando County Jail in June. But County Administrator Adams told CCA that the Hernando facility needed a warden who has run a municipal jail and ideally one with corrections experience in Florida.
Chapman has also worked in federal prisons and in a U.S. Navy brig but not at a municipal jail, where a warden is expected to be a hands-on administrator deeply familiar with routine procedures, county officials said.
With Durbin's extensive experience, Gantt said, he looks like the kind of individual who would put the jail in order, given the facility's recent problems.
During Hawks' two-year tenure, problems arose with faulty booking and inmate release procedures. In April, jail officials extradited two women to the U.S. Virgin Islands without obtaining a consent waiver from the inmates or a warrant from the governor as required by Florida law.
A CCA official said the two, accused of forgery and embezzlement, were shipped off to St. Thomas as a result of a clerical error. A Tampa attorney who represents the mother and daughter plans a lawsuit.
Since 1988, CCA has operated the jail, which is being expanded to have more than 500 beds. In anticipation of the expansion's completion this fall and in light of recent problems, the County Commission approved changes in its contract with CCA. Gantt said the county has added some safeguards for the county's benefit if CCA violates the "operational standards" for the facility.
"Should they let people out of jail who shouldn't be let out or deport people who shouldn't be deported, they are subject to liquidated damages of about $25,000 per incident," Gantt said.
The amended contract also calls for an increase in the amount of money the county will receive for housing noncounty inmates at the jail. It should result in another $100,000 in revenue for Hernando, Gantt said.
To ensure that the jail is adequately staffed even as more inmates are housed there, the county is requiring that CCA have a ratio of at least one officer per six inmates.
The initial contract didn't require a ratio but required that CCA provide "adequate staffing," Gantt said.
"It was very open."
CCA has agreed to the changes.
Staff writer Duane Bourne contributed to this story.
[Last modified July 14, 2005, 00:31:19]
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