>> My name is Jackie Strode.
I am the Jailer of Warren County.
I've been the Jailer of Warren County since 1994.
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I've had a deputy that was taken hostage.
I've had deputies that were assaulted, that were cut, that were hurt seriously.
You know, inmates will throw feces in your face, they will spit in your face and they tell you,
you know, they don't have anything to lose.
They're looking at the rest of their life in jail or prison
and they could care less how they respect you.
We have a disciplinary process in place and if someone is in disciplinary or if someone is
on suicide watch, then they're checked every 15 minutes, okay.
Then once an hour we have to walk throughout the whole jail and we visibly look into each cell.
And we look to make sure that things appear to be normal.
The largest dorm that we have is a 38 bed dorm.
So that would be the largest area that we would have.
But you use that classification system to put them in the correct areas.
>> Sure.
>> Meaning that you wouldn't put a shoplifter in with a rapist.
The rec is done Monday thru Friday.
So if it's raining they will get, if we [inaudible] rec then they would only get
out of their cell normally 30 minutes a day.
If they get to go to outside, if it's pretty
and we can use all the rec areas then they would be outside of their cell 45 minutes a day.
Now if we're having a church service or NA or AA or GED or bible study or those types
of things then they would be out for that.
Other than that they will be in their cell.
And we actually have inmates who don't attend any services,
they actually stay in their cell 24/7.
>> They prefer that?
>> They just, that's what they're used to and that's what they do.
We have different things that occur.
We have different events going on each day.
Different court system, different activities so it's not that you're doing the same thing,
you're dealing with different situations, different courts,
different public, different lawyers.
So it's something different.
So I'll say it's interesting even though sometimes it's quite challenging.
Prior to coming to the jail I was a state trooper for 21-1/2 years.
And I tell folks, you know, as a trooper I was able to get in my car and if I chose
to pull someone over then my life may be put in danger.
When you work at a jail for 8 hours, you're in contact with inmates.
So for that 8 hours you're in danger.
Well first of all, you know, you tell folks that you tried
to deescalate a situation instead of escalating it.
And folks know when they go to work here that somewhat what it's going to be like.
If a person has common sense, they have common sense.
If they are laid back people, they're laid back people.
If they're antsy, if they're demanding, if they're, you know, if they don't have patience,
you know, you have to learn some of those things when you come here.
But you just have to be here and see what goes on and you have to make adjustments.
We, I tell folks, we are a great training ground for potential law enforcement officers.
And if you'll check the surrounding agencies in Warren County, they will tell you that the folks
who they, that they hire from the jail make great officers
because they've seen the other side, they know a lot of the people who are in jail
so when they're out they know whether they're shoplifters or drug dealers or whatever
that might be, so they have a good eye on that.
But a lot of my folks that have hired or gone on to become city officers, sheriff's deputies,
state troopers, lawyers, FBI agents.
So, you know, and I do say I'm, I don't like that I'm a training ground but I'm proud
to be one simply because I know that they're going to better themselves.
And when I do their background, you know, you ask, you know, are they a people person,
are they hot tempered, are they, you know, do they get along well with their co-workers,
do they get along well with the public?
And so you take all of those factors and then you,
when you do your interview you just take all of it and you say,
you know, I think they'll make it.
I've had some horrible failures but I've had a ton of successes also.
The way that I came about getting here was like I said I was a state trooper.
The Jailer who was the Jailer at that time was killed in a farm accident.
And of course in Kentucky the Jailer is an elected position.
It's the only state in the nation that is.
The other 49 states, the jails come under the sheriff.
We basically have the same powers as the sheriff, we just don't use them.
So when he was killed I had always talked about running for the position of sheriff
but I'm a person that believes God puts opportunities in your life.
And if you open that door, you know, then you can take the challenge or if you keep
that door closed then you will not take that challenge.
So, I decided to retire early from the state police.
I ran for the position.
I was elected.
And I've been here since Election Day, November 9, 1994.
I think what we as the public forget are the families of the people who are in jail.
You know, they're the ones that suffer the most.
These children lose their mothers and their fathers, you know, spouses lose their spouse
which can cause them to lose their home, lose their job.
And, you know, it gets to you when you see these little folks come up here
and they have to visit through a glass.
And, you know, they're innocent.
They're not the ones that committed this crime so it gets to you
when you see them and their families up here.
But, you know, we try to do everything that we can and we were pleased with where we are.