A recent inspection by the National Institute of Corrections found the Clermont County Jail in good order, both physically and operationally, and suggested that local officials create a committee to help keep the system running smoothly.

According to Clermont County Sheriff Tim Rodenberg, that committee, which is still being considered by the county, would most likely take the form of a general criminal justice committee rather than focus strictly on the jail itself.

“Now that the NIC report has been rendered, it’s quite comprehensive,” said Sheriff Rodenberg. “One thing that they felt was helpful in other jurisdictions they’ve assessed and analyzed is to have a committee of a diverse group of viewpoints to discuss this, and not just the jail. They said a lot of communities fail by focusing just on the jail, and that’s only a piece of the entire pie. It all starts with law enforcement.”

Sheriff Rodenberg said that the idea is to better manage how law enforcement agencies, such as the sheriff’s department, the prosecutor and court are operating together. Doing so, said Sheriff Rodenberg, would create a more comprehensive process that manages how many offenders, and what offenses, receive what punishment.