Pubdate: Mon, 06 Aug 2001 Source: Greenville News (SC) Copyright: 2001 The Greenville News Contact: http://greenvillenews.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/877 JAIL EXPANSION IS INEVITABLE It's not too early for the county to begin exploring what steps to take to avert overcrowding. A rising number of arrests is routinely pushing the county's jail population beyond the facility's capacity - a dangerous trend which invites a return to the serious security flaws federal officials found in a scathing report of jail conditions three years ago. Inevitably, the county will be forced to add more jail space unless it can find alternatives to incarceration. The Greenville County Council should begin exploring possible expansion plans soon to deal with escalating arrests. Until an expansion plan is on the table, county officials should continue to invest in alternatives to incarceration to help alleviate what is now a budding overcrowding problem. Additionally, inmates awaiting trail are still languishing behind bars for far too long - despite the recent good news that the judicial circuit that includes Greenville is now current in its caseload after four years of backlogs. Last month 13th Circuit Solicitor Bob Ariail announced that his caseload had been nearly halved, from 13,500 cases in April 1999 to 7,856 in July. Also, Ariail said the number of cases that have gone more than one year without resolution has dropped from 4,100 in 1999 to 230. Still, the number of inmates awaiting trial dwarfs the number of inmates at the jail serving sentences for minor violations like traffic offenses and writing bad checks. Relief from overcrowding would surely come in abundance if more cases were disposed of in 180 days - the goal of each of the state's circuits. A case has also been made by some state lawmakers for more reasonable bail so that nonviolent offenders and low flight risks can await trial at home. Home confinement defrays the tremendous expense of housing, feeding and clothing inmates. In wake of the Jamel Radcliff death in 1997, federal officials found that the county jail suffered tremendously from overcrowding, making inmate and staff safety a high concern. The death of Christopher Bryan Lee in 1999 illustrates the danger posed by an overcrowded jail that can't properly classify and segregate its prisoners. Lee, who was serving a 90-day sentence on misdemeanor charges, was housed in the same cell as Freddie Eugene Owens the night after Owens was convicted on murder charges. Lee was brutally killed and Owens was charged in his death. An isolation unit was available for Owens that night. However, the jail's director admitted after the killing that overcrowding often limits who can be placed in isolation. This county has before suffered through tragedy and turmoil at the jail that can be traced to the difficulties posed by overcrowding. Greenville County should seize this opportunity to stay ahead of the problem. - --- MAP posted-by: Jo-D