2009 Annual Report - Belknap County

Department of Corrections
January 1, 2009 through December 31, 2009
To the Honorable Commissioners of Belknap County,
The year 2009 will be remembered by Correctional Staff as a year of extremes.
At times the facility was near capacity followed by lower populated months that
reminded us of the mid 1990’s. The daily inmate population ranged from a high
of 96 in July to a low of 60 in mid December. Protective Custody admissions
declined to 774 compared to 896 in 2008. This drop seems to follow recent years
of steady decline in Protective Custody bookings in spite of last years spike in
intoxications. The decline in Bike Week attendance and lower tourist numbers in
the state can be attributed to the steady decline booking numbers.
Overcrowding in general population housing areas has shown improvement over
last year. The decline in weekender sentences and special needs inmates eased
housing concerns. This decline in population should allow maintenance time for
much need painting and minor repairs to unoccupied units. In December 2009
work released inmates were moved from the Gym back to the House of Corrections.
This opened the gym for daily exercise for the entire inmate population.
Daily exercise lowers inmate stress and makes out daily population happier and
more manageable.
The Farm Program
The inmate Farm Program enjoyed another successful season despite another rain
soaked spring. Officer Levasseur planted crops on higher ground and worked
diligently using inmate labor in halting last summers blight. The farm stand was
once again well received by the general public with many new people visiting the
stand this year. This year $2484.33 of produce was sold to the general public.
More importantly another 1500 pounds of produce was donated to the St. Vincent
DePaul Food Pantry, the Laconia Senior Center and the Belknap County Nursing
Home.
Maintenance
General maintenance continued in 2009 with most of the attention focused on existing
problem areas. The worn carpet in the public lobby area was replaced. The
skylights in the jail corridors were sealed and the walls were repaired using inmate
labor. Several electrical problems from the electrical feed to the greenhouse
24 2009 Annual Report