Jail Bureau

Main Jail 221 East Main Street Lancaster, OH 43130 (740) 652-7240

Minimum Security Jail 342 West Wheeling Street Lancaster, OH 43130 (740) 652-7300

Jail Phone Directory

Jail Bureau Commander


In charge of the Fairfield County jail facilities as the Jail Administrator is Mr. Phil Johnson. Mr. Johnson earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Eastern Kentucky University’s College of Law Enforcement (’82), with a major in police administration and psychology. He began his correctional career in 1983 where he was a supervisor in a large county jail (+600). Before coming to work for Sheriff Phalen in 2001, Mr. Johnson worked for the Ohio Department of Corrections for two years. After a lengthy certification process in 2004, Mr. Johnson became a nationally certified jail manager through the American Jail Association.

Mr. Johnson also served six years in the Marine Corps Reserve, attached to a military police company, where he attained the rank of sergeant. “I want the citizens of Fairfield County to know that the officers working in the jail have a tremendously difficult job to do and I am proud of the level of professionalism each of them displays every day.” You can reach Mr. Johnson at (740) 652-7249.

County Jail Facilities

Main Jail
The Main Jail is located at 221 East Main Street in Lancaster.  This facility was built in 1966 and is a medium - maximum level security facility.  All male prisoners charged with violent and serious offenses are booked and housed in this facility.  In 2007 this facility had an average daily prisoner population of 65.  This facility's maximum rated capacity set by the state is 26 prisoners.

Due to design of the facility there isn't any recreational or programming space for prisoners.  Attorney's, mental health counselors and psychologists, detectives and other criminal justice professionals needing to meet with or interview prisoners must do so in a holding cell in the booking area.  Prisoner meals are transported from the MSJ to the Main Jail three times a day due to the lack of any kitchen facilities at the Main Jail.  

The Main Jail also contains administrative offices for the Sheriff, Chief Deputy, Jail Administrator, sex offender registration officer, pay-to-stay coordinator, jail shift supervisor, evidence room & clerk, maintenance and community policing officer.

Minimum Security Jail (MSJ)
The Minimum Security Jail (MSJ) is located at 342 West Wheeling Street in Lancaster.  This facility houses both male and female prisoners in seperate open dorm style housing units.  There are 27 beds for female prisoners in the female dorm and 57 beds in the male dorm for male prisoners.  When the weather permits and under the direct supervision of a jail officer, prisoners are permitted to exercise in the fenced-in outdoor recreation area that is adjacent to the building.

In 2007 the average daily prisoner population for this facility was 25 female prisoners and 53 male prisoners.  This facility also contains administrative offices for Patrol Bureau supervisors, radio room supervisor, county 9-1-1 communications/radio room and the jail kitchen facilities.

Prisoner Information
Visitation Regulations
Prisoners are permitted one (1) thirty (30) minute visit each week with a maximum of three (3) persons. Children and persons under the age of eighteen (18) are permitted to visit with the prisoner as long as a parent or legal guardian accompany them. All visitors must be dressed in a modest fashion. Persons not wearing shirts or shoes will not be permitted to visit. Prior to being granted entry into the jail all visitors are required to be checked by a metal detector and will be required to present positive identification. Visitors are also subject to being searched by jail staff for possible contraband. Visitors will not be permitted to bring into the facility any purses or handbags.

Visitation Hours

Depositing Funds
Funds may be deposited into a prisoner’s account at either the Main Jail or the Minimum Security Jail (MSJ). Only cash, cashiers checks or money orders will be accepted. NO PERSONAL CHECKS. Funds are accepted seven days a week, 24 hours a day.

Inmate Telephone Services

The Fairfield County Sheriff's Office has collect telephones in all housing units within the detention facilities.  The following information is being provided due to the number of questions concerning what to do when you have a problem receiving phone calls from inmates.

The inmate phone system is provided and maintained by Evercom Systems Inc.; services and billing information is handled by Correctional Billing Services.  They may be contacted 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by any of the following means:

Phone:  1-800-844-6591

Email:  customer_service@correctionalbillingservices.com

www.correctionalbillingservices.com

Mail
Prisoners may receive letters and photographs (NO polaroids) as long as the photographs are not sexually explicit or contain nudity. To write to a prisoner use the following address: (prisoner’s name), Fairfield County Jail, 221 E. Main Street, Lancaster, Ohio 43130.

Commitments
For persons ordered by the court to report to jail to serve a sentence, the following information is being provided so that you will understand where to report and what you need to bring and not bring.

If you are ordered by the court to report to jail to serve a commitment (jail sentence), the offense you have been convicted of and sentenced to jail will determine which location you will need to report to.  The jai consists of two seperate facilities.

Location:  

1.  Minimum Sercurity Jail (MSJ):  Located at 342 West Wheeling Street in Lancaster.  Phone number:  740-681-5550.  All female defendants regardless of the type of offense or charge you were convicted of report to this facility.  Only male defendants convicted of non-violent offense (theft, driving under the influence, driving under suspension, etc.) 

2.  Main Street Jail:  Located at 221 East Main Street in Lancaster.  Phone number:  740-653-5777.  Only male defendants convicted of an violent offense are to report to this facility.  (robbery, assult, aggravated menacing, carrying a concealed weapon, etc.

Reporting Time: It is your responsibility to report to the jail at the time ordered by the sentencing judge.  Your reporting date and time will be listed on the court ordered commitment paperwork.  If you have an emergency which causes your to be late to report, you should still report to the jail as ordered even though you are late.  You will not be turned away if you are late.  Late arrivals will be reported to the sentencing court and may result in your release being extended.

Identification: You will need to bring a government photo identification and health insurance or medical card with you when you report to the jail.

Clothing While in jail you will be issued jail clothing. You may bring with you 2- white t-shirts, 2-pair white underwear and 2-pair of white socks.

Money: You will be permitted to purchase food and hygiene items through the jail commissary. Commissary is only ordered on Monday and delivered on Wednesday. If you are serving only a weekend, do not bring money with you.

Medications: If you are currently taking prescription medications, you may bring them with you. All prescriptions will be verified by the jail medical staff before you will be able to receive them.

Contraband: It is a FELONY for any person who attempts to convey drugs, weapons or intoxicating liquor into a jail.  Any person found attempting to smuggle or who successfully conveys illegal contraband inot the jail will criminaly charged as allowed under Ohio Revised Code section 2921.36.  Illegal contraband includes any weapons, dangerous ordance, drugs of abuse, intoxicating liquor or cash money.  The jail is a non smoking facility.  Prisoners are prohibited from possessing amy tobacco products or lighing materials (matches, lighters).  Attempts to smuggle tobacco, lighters, matches etc. into the jail will result in the prisoner being charged with violating the jail's Prisoner Rules of Condcut.  Prisoners found guilty of will face disciplinary action that may result in confinement in isolation or loss of privileges.

Food Service
The jail kitchen is managed by Aramark, a private food service contractor.  All prisoner meals are prepated on site in the jail kitchen.  The kitchen is located at the Minimum Security Jail at 342 W. Wheeling Street. Meals for prisoners housed at the Main Jail (221 E. Main) are prepared on special covered trays and transported from the MSJ to the Main Jail.

Prisoners are provided nutritious meals three times a day. The kitchen uses a five week menu cycle that is certified by a licensed nutritionist. Each month the kitchen staff prepares over 10,000 meals.

Health Care
Medical services for prisoners at the jail operate under the medical license and supervision of a certified licensed physician. Assisting the jail physician with the medical care are a full time registered nurse and two two part time licensed practical nurses (LPN). All prisoners have access 24 hours a day to emergency medical care. Prisoners who need emergency medical treatment are immediately transported by rescue squad to the Fairfield Medical Center. Prisoners experiencing a non-emergency medical problem that want to see the medical staff are required to fill out a sick call form before seeing the jail physician. The jail physician holds sick call for prisoners several times each week. Prisoners are charged $10.00 to see the doctor and $3.00 to see the medical officer. These costs are deducted directly from the prisoner's account. Prisoners are not denied medical care based upon an inability to pay. Medications are distributed to the prisoners four times each day by jail staff at regularly scheduled times. All medications brough to the jail by family members or friends of prisoners and medications received from prisoners during their booking-intake process are screened by the jail medical staff prior to being distributed to a prisoner.

Jail Technologies
Fingerprint Machine
The jail uses the newest digital technology available to fingerprint prisoners. This technology allows identification of persons in one-tenth the amount of time that was required by the old manual fingerprinting methods.

Jail Booking Computer System
Purchased in 2002 this jail booking computer system (named JAMIN) replaced an older computer system that was very limited in what it could do compared to the many options available today with the newer computerized booking systems. This system enables jail staff to digitally photograph prisoners for identification purposes, generate a wide variety of reports, produce photo lineups and produce photos of prisoners which are laminated on their identification wristbands. The prisoner’s commissary program is also in this system.

Defibrillator
In 2002 the Sheriff’s Office purchased a defibrillator for the jail. The defibrillator is a light weight portable medical device designed to save the lives of persons whose hearts have stopped due to a heart attack. The defibrillator allows jail personnel, who have been trained on its proper use, to be able to make a quick assessment and action in order to help save the lives of prisoners suffering from a heart attack.

Video Arraignments
In cooperation and coordination with both the Municipal and Common Pleas Courts, the jail staff conducts video arraignments for misdemeanor cases at 9:00 am and felony cases at 1:00 pm, Monday through Friday. The use of video arraignments is a valuable tool which saves both time and money and greatly reduces the security and safety risks involved in transporting prisoners out of the jail to their court arraignments.

Court Security
The Fairfield County Sheriff’s Office Court Security Detail is responsible for security of the Fairfield County Hall of Justice and County Commissioners Building. The normal hours of operation for the Hall of Justice are 7:00 am – 6:00 pm on Mondays and Thursdays and 7:00 am – 5 pm Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays. All persons entering the Hall of Justice are required to remove all objects from their pockets and walk through a metal detector. All packages and carry-type bags are sent through an x-ray machine. The security checks are required to maintain the safety and welfare of all who enter these buildings. The Court Security Detail also maintains a roving patrol at irregular intervals through these buildings.

Programs
Educational Classes
Educational classes are held on Monday and Wednesday from 1:00 pm to 2:30 pm each week for prisoners at the Minimum Security Jail (MSJ). An instructor from the Fairfield County Adult Education Department teaches the class. The classes are free of charge to any minimum security prisoner staying at the MSJ facility.

The classes are designed to improve the reading and math skills of the prisoners, as well as assist them in attaining their G.E.D. certificate.

Drug and Alcohol Programming
AA Counselors currently hold group meetings on Tuesday evenings for female prisoners and Wednesday evenings for male prisoners.

Prisoners-At-Work
Available on a case by case basis to be determined by the Jail Administrator. 

Pay-To-Stay
In February 2003, Sheriff Phalen approved the start of a Pay-to-Stay program in the jail on an 18-month trial basis. Per Ohio House Bill 480 the county sheriff is authorized to charge sentenced prisoners for staying in the county jail as well as for other costs associated with their care and custody. Expenses that can be charged to a prisoner include daily room and board, medical and dental treatment, booking & releasing fee and charges for any property damaged by the prisoner while in custody. Using a “sliding scale” method, prisoners are charged according to their individual ability to pay. This program is a great way to help defer the rising costs of housing prisoners in jail. All funds collected are deposited into the county’s general operating fund. Civilian employee Kelly Nixon coordinates the Pay-to-Stay program at the jail.

Jail Chaplain
The Jail Chaplain position was established in 2003 in an effort to organize and coordinate the many jail ministry volunteers that come to the jail to visit the prisoners and to provide spiritual guidance, encouragement and personal counseling directly with the prisoners. The Jail Chaplain is not an employee of the Sheriff’s Office but works as a part-time volunteer. The funding for this program is through the generous support and donations from local churches and individuals. Jail Chaplain Jerry Eaton pastors a local church and is a retired Fairfield County Deputy Sheriff (1991). Chaplain Eaton also is responsible for organizing and conducting orientation training for the jail ministry volunteers as well as coordinating all religious activities and programs for the prisoners. Persons interested in participating in the jail ministry program or needing to talk to Chaplain Eaton may reach him at (740) 438-3061 or at www.fairfieldcountyjailministries.org (this web site is currently under contruction).