U.S. Rep. Souder Tours New Jail
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
U.S. Rep. Mark Souder toured the Kosciusko County jail facilities Friday and briefly discussed the rise in use of methamphetamines and other illegal narcotics.
The old jail capacity was only 88 but the county housed an average of 150 prisoners daily, Rovenstine told Souder. He also told Souder about the merging of the city of Warsaw's and the county's dispatch services. "City and county can work together," Rovenstine said.
When the justice building/jail renovation project is complete, the jail's capacity will be 325 inmates.
Approximately 20 percent to 30 percent of all inmates, Rovenstine said, are in jail on drug- or alcohol-related charges. Even crimes such as burglary often can be traced back to drugs or alcohol.
After the tour, Souder said he was impressed with the county's jail facilities. "This is an amazing facility here."
One of the biggest problems with the "war on drugs," Souder said, is that when the government wins one part of the battle, the problem moves. More of the people behind the drug problem need locked up and more programs are needed to help keep people off drugs and to stay off them, he said.
A growing problem is the drug Oxycotin, Souder said. It's a pain reliever which is often blended with over-the-counter drugs. Wal-Mart, he said, has been the country's biggest help battling that problem because they carefully watch orders that may be signs as to the use or the manufacture of the drug.
Such drugs as Oxycotin can often have dramatic effects or even be fatal. Oxycotin was once just an asterisk on the list of America's drug problem, but now, Souder said, it is starting "to pop up all over the place."
As for cocaine, Souder said cocaine is more of an urban problem. Users tend to be wealthier and older people. However, crack cocaine, he said, is often a problem in the less-affluent parts of America because a person can get the same high cheaper. But once that crack cocaine user becomes addicted, and they will become addicted, Souder said money becomes an issue again because the user needs to continually have it. [[In-content Ad]]
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U.S. Rep. Mark Souder toured the Kosciusko County jail facilities Friday and briefly discussed the rise in use of methamphetamines and other illegal narcotics.
The old jail capacity was only 88 but the county housed an average of 150 prisoners daily, Rovenstine told Souder. He also told Souder about the merging of the city of Warsaw's and the county's dispatch services. "City and county can work together," Rovenstine said.
When the justice building/jail renovation project is complete, the jail's capacity will be 325 inmates.
Approximately 20 percent to 30 percent of all inmates, Rovenstine said, are in jail on drug- or alcohol-related charges. Even crimes such as burglary often can be traced back to drugs or alcohol.
After the tour, Souder said he was impressed with the county's jail facilities. "This is an amazing facility here."
One of the biggest problems with the "war on drugs," Souder said, is that when the government wins one part of the battle, the problem moves. More of the people behind the drug problem need locked up and more programs are needed to help keep people off drugs and to stay off them, he said.
A growing problem is the drug Oxycotin, Souder said. It's a pain reliever which is often blended with over-the-counter drugs. Wal-Mart, he said, has been the country's biggest help battling that problem because they carefully watch orders that may be signs as to the use or the manufacture of the drug.
Such drugs as Oxycotin can often have dramatic effects or even be fatal. Oxycotin was once just an asterisk on the list of America's drug problem, but now, Souder said, it is starting "to pop up all over the place."
As for cocaine, Souder said cocaine is more of an urban problem. Users tend to be wealthier and older people. However, crack cocaine, he said, is often a problem in the less-affluent parts of America because a person can get the same high cheaper. But once that crack cocaine user becomes addicted, and they will become addicted, Souder said money becomes an issue again because the user needs to continually have it. [[In-content Ad]]