| Welcome to the Belknap County Department of Corrections Website. My name is Richard Grenier and I am the current superintendent of the Belknap County Department of Corrections. I was made interim superintendent in mid-May of 2006 and was given permanent status by the County Commissioners in August.
Christmas 2006 has come and gone, and while it is a melancholy time for those incarcerated, there are two activities all the inmates look forward to. The first eagerly anticipated activity would be the special Christmas visiting, where visiting restrictions are suspended and additional visitors of all ages are allowed for an extended period. The other highly anticipated event is the Christmas Eve evening meal. A large quantity of pepperoni and cheese pizzas is purchased from a local shop and is distributed to all the inmates. In addition, each inmate gets a large sub and soda to wash it down with, as well as ice cream from the County Home kitchen for dessert. This has become a tradition going back many years, since the inception of the commissary, which pays for this with profit from sales.
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| As mentioned in a previous update, those inmates not having storage space have been issued lockable storage containers for their living areas. Additional locks were purchased and issued. This was at no cost to the taxpayers, as once again, commissary profits paid for these items, which benefit the inmates.
The maintenance staff has completed installation of the new VisitPhone System in the non-contact visiting area. Between inmates and visitors, there can be as many as 18 people in an area constructed of steel, concrete and Plexiglas. It is the acoustic equivalent of hell on earth when everyone has to yell to be heard over other visitors. The new system will eliminate most, if not all, of that problem.
In conjunction with the new phones, the non-contact visiting area is being refurbished. A professional painter, who happens to be residing with us for the time being, is doing a superb job. All steel is being sanded down and refinished in an oil base paint, as it was originally. The walls are also being done in a different color and the job will be complete when the carpet is cleaned.
In an earlier update, I mentioned how we were purchasing new underwear and other related laundry items, as well as revamping the policy regarding its’ distribution. That has been completed and will result in better sanitation for the inmates, as well as less disrepair to inmate clothing. It is too early to determine if there will be a cost benefit to the new policy, but in no case will the costs be higher than the previous method of laundry purchase and distribution.
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