An administrative review of the mistaken release of a Clark County Jail inmate this spring showed that a corrections deputy erred in the process of replacing an identifying wristband.
Sometime before he was scheduled to be released on May 12, LaQuon Carson Boggs, 19, of Portland asked corrections staff for a new wristband, Clark County Jail Chief Ric Bishop said.
Inmates routinely damage wristbands during recreation or other jail activities, so the wristbands are routinely replaced, he said.
This time, however, the corrections deputy did not collect the damaged wristband when providing a new one, according to the findings of an administrative review released Wednesday.
“To date, we have not been able to determine who issued the wristband and why,” the administrative review stated.
Another inmate, 30-year-old Michael Diontae Johnson, used Boggs’ wristband, changed his hair to resemble that of Boggs’ and changed into Boggs’ clothes and walked out of custody in his place on May 12, according to the review.
Johnson, who was already serving a 24-year prison sentence from an Arizona case, was in Clark County to stand trial in a March 2014 domestic violence case when he escaped.
Nearly a month later, Johnson was apprehended in Illinois by the U.S. Marshals Service. He was sentenced earlier this month to serve five additional years in prison.
The review findings recommended that the wristband system be disbanded and replaced with an inmate ID card containing a barcode and photograph. Sheriff Chuck Atkins approved the change, which will be implemented in the near future, Bishop said.
The review highlighted other weaknesses in the inmate release system and identified solutions, some of which have already been implemented.
For example, a fingerprint scanner was implemented earlier this month.
The new biometric system, which was planned prior to Johnson’s escape, allows jail staff to quickly verify who an inmate is, limiting human error.
The review also concluded that the photographs of inmates used to cross-check their identity upon release are small — measuring 1 1/2 inch by 2 inches, Bishop said. A computer monitor was added to the release station to allow staff to view a larger photo of an inmate for comparison.
Prior to the escape, custody officers used photos, documents, physical descriptions and intellectual identifiers — information only the inmate would know — as means to identify inmates as they exit the jail. Following the review, however, release staff have increased the number of identifiers used to verify a person’s identity.
As far as Johnson changing his hair to look like Boggs’ — Bishop said that he combed his hair out to make it bigger — the information was added to staff training as an example of a behavior that may indicate an escape plan.
On a larger scale, the review also said that if the jail population was reduced and corrections deputies switched to using direct supervision, jail staff would be more aware of inmates’ identities and normal behaviors. A feasibility study, which was commissioned last year and is due later this month, will determine whether that is a workable option for the jail, Bishop said.
