The city council’s public safety committee discussed the potential to hire up to eight women to fill the role of matron at the city jail once again. P-J photo by Sara Holthouse

Following an inspection from the state Department of Corrections, the Jamestown City Police Department is looking to hire up to eight women to fill the role of matron at the city jail.

The potential to hire people to fill the matron role was discussed during both the City Council Public Safety Committee and full council work session on Monday. It was noted during both meetings that this role is not something new for the city, and is a position that they used to have, but is not one that has been filled in many years.

Police Chief Timothy Jackson explained the role of matron to those in attendance at the Public Safety Committee meeting.

“Matrons supervise female prisoners when they’re brought to the jail; when they need to be taken out, need to be searched, they will supervise the females,” Jackson said. “They will retain the keys of the females. That is their responsibility.”

Councilman Jeff Russell, R-At Large and chair of the Public Safety Committee, asked if that would mean they would essentially be in charge of keeping a constant watch on female prisoners and would also be under the direct supervision of the uniformed officer in the jail. Jackson said that would be the case, unless the uniformed officer is also a woman, as then a matron would not be needed.

It was noted that the hiring of matrons would also allow the female block of the jail to be opened and utilized once again, as the department has been hindered from using that. Currently, female prisoners are placed on the benches in the holding area and the holding tank, because right now there are no matrons in the department.

“Obviously this matron position is nothing new, we just haven’t had matrons for many, many years,” Russell said. “So, it’s being reinstituted.”

Matrons would be considered part-time, on-call employees and would ideally work a full shift, Jackson said.

Councilman Brent Sheldon, R-Ward 1 and chair of the finance committee, said during Monday’s work session that the need to hire matrons again came after a state inspection as it is part of the state law, and while there is currently no funding in the budget for these positions it will be budgeted for next year.

Russell added that matrons are not officers but are civilian employees. He confirmed that the inspection was a regular thing from the Department of Corrections, and expressed his concern that it is an unfunded mandate from the state, also questioning why male officers are not allowed to put female prisoners in cells, or the holding tank unless there is a matron or female officer present, but a female officer is allowed to do that with a male prisoner, and is able to do her full job.

The resolution to hire up to eight matrons for the jail was approved by the Public Safety Committee and will be up for approval at the council’s voting session later this month.