Pubdate: Thu, 24 Jun 2004
Source: Star-News (NC)
Copyright: 2004 Wilmington Morning Star
Contact:  http://www.wilmingtonstar.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/500
Author: Ken Little
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/prison.htm (Incarceration)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/topics/jail+overcrowding

CROWDING CONTINUES TO PLAGUE JAILS

A judge and a representative of the New Hanover County District
Attorney's Office met Tuesday with Sheriff Sid Causey to discuss ways
of easing the severe overcrowding at the county jail.

As a result, steps will be taken to accelerate the legal process for
those charged with nonviolent crimes. With the facility bursting at
the seams, any action is welcome, Sheriff Causey said Wednesday.

The jail held 424 inmates Wednesday morning, more than twice its
approved capacity of 209. That may be an all-time high for the
chronically crowded facility, Sheriff Causey said.

"It's very steady. It's too steady. We just simply are out of room.
They're in the hallway, and we've got 25 people in a 12-man cell. It's
nuts," he said. Inmate overcrowding is not confined to New Hanover
County. Officials in neighboring counties said Wednesday that they
must be creative to hold jail populations down.

An out-of-town conference for judges last week meant few court
appearances for inmates. That factor, along with the usual influx of
weekend offenders, combined to fill the jail well over capacity by
Monday morning. Working together "What we're doing is attempting to
work together to alleviate the problem," said Assistant District
Attorney Jon David, who met with Sheriff Causey and Chief District
Court Judge John J. Carroll III. "We're attempting to develop a system
where we can systematically review defendants who are in jail on more
minor charges, with an eye to dispose of their cases more
quickly."That process will continue today when Judge Carroll presides
over felony District Court. "We should hear a number of felony cases,
and those defendants will go to the Department of Correction when they
plead guilty or be put on probation, depending on the deal they made
with the district attorney," Judge Carroll said. Assistants in Judge
Carroll's office spent Wednesday contacting lawyers to see if their
clients are willing to enter pleas in advance of scheduled court dates.

"One of the problems is the coordination between the District
Attorney's Office, the defense attorneys and the defendants. Each of
them has to be on board, and you can't do them too quickly because the
police reports are not compiled yet in some cases," he said. "It's
really no one's fault. It's just the way the system works."

While attempts are made to thin the jail population, deputies
responsible for inmate care face many challenges, Sheriff Causey said.
It's also not very pleasant for those behind bars.

"We're stressed to the max with our staff, and it's stressful for
inmates. A lot of them are up there for court appearances, and they
have not been convicted," Sheriff Causey said. "We must provide
adequate, humane treatment for them, but it's difficult when you have
209 beds and 424 people." Crimes that may merit accelerated plea
agreements include breaking and entering, cocaine possession or sale,
larcenies, fraud-related offenses, crimes against nature, and hit and
run involving injury or death, Judge Carroll said.

"We're not just opening the floodgates. These people will be put where
they belong," he said.

Other solutions Brunswick County jail held 127 inmates Wednesday
morning, well above its rated capacity of 78.

A jail population coordinator monitors pending cases to help speed the
legal process, said Brunswick County District Attorney Rex Gore.
"They've been able to save hundreds of jail days by getting them into
court sooner than when they are scheduled," he said.

The same system is employed in Columbus County and is modeled after a
program used in New Hanover County, Mr. Gore said.

"With low-level felonies, statutes provide for them to get to court
within a certain period of time. With misdemeanors, there's not an
automatic triggering device to get them into court within a day or two
of the offense. We put our own automatic triggering device in place,"
he said. Mr. Gore said he has reservations about releasing certain
nonviolent offenders, particularly repeat customers who habitually
prey on others. "Lots of times, these offenders who are breaking and
entering and are stealing lots of times to do their drugs, it gets to
be a harder decision to let them out on a $200 bond. The general
public says, 'Wait a minute, he's causing problems)" Mr. Gore said.

Brunswick County's new jail remains under construction and should be
complete by spring, Mr. Gore said. In the meantime, deputies do their
best to cope with the inmate population in the current facility. "The
safety of the inmates is certainly something the jailers are charged
with," Mr. Gore said. "You do have to protect them, and you have to
manage them, and the more you have in there the less you're going to
be able to protect the individual and the total inmate population," he
said. Columbus County's jail overcrowding problems continue as well.
The jail held 88 inmates Wednesday morning, well over the listed
capacity of 67. Several weeks ago, Senior Resident Superior Court
Judge William C. Gore Jr. took the unusual step of holding court in
the magistrate's office next to the jail to expedite the legal process.

"There has not been a significant improvement. We're still working
with judges on getting people to go through the system as quick as we
can," Sheriff Chris Batten said. "I think, basically, we're making do
with the process that we have, based on the laws in North Carolina."
One means of reducing the number of inmates is house arrest for those
charged with nonviolent crimes such as nonpayment for child support,
Sheriff Batten said.

There has been talk of a new jail in Columbus County for many years,
but other priorities have limited the ability of the county to fund
the project. Pender County jail has the enviable position of being
able to accommodate all of its inmates, with some room to spare. As of
Wednesday morning, there were 56 inmates in a jail designed with a
capacity of 92. The jail was renovated in 2000. Sheriff Carson Smith
said the numbers are somewhat deceiving because the section of the
jail designed to hold violent felons has a capacity of 30 and 26
inmates were there Wednesday. "You can look a few years down the road
and say we're going to have our problems," Sheriff Smith said. "I
think the overcrowding problems are not because of a change in the
judicial system. It's a change in the growth of the area."
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