Jail Management, Not Just Beaufort but any County | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Why do we need a jail? There are many reasons. Some of them are: to keep those who are accused of criminal acts from fleeing to avoid prosecution, to protect the criminal from the public administering its own version of justice, so convicted criminals can serve their punishment time,

    and to hold those who are accused and unable to make bail (bail is to guarantee appearance for trial), There are other reasons, these are the big four.

    Jails should be clean and the food should be acceptable. The law says emergency health care should be provided. I certainly do not argue with these requirements. Nothing says the jail has to be modern, or the food has to be even remotely fancy. Just the basics.

    All of this sounds quite simple until we get into the failures of us humans. These failures are the reality of drugs alcohol, and mental illness. Then there are failures in the court system. The court system includes all the judges, lawyers, district attorneys, parole officers and sheriffs .

    The Beaufort County Jail meets and in some cases exceeds all of the requirements for a jail. We are permitted to hold 87 prisoners and in the past we have had as many as 110 prisoners on a fairly frequent schedule. Regardless of what anyone may tell you our jail is in compliance with the standards of the Stat of North Carolina.

    Those who want a new jail are usually bleeding hearts and liberals who truly believe bigger and new will convert some criminals into normal law abiding society. We have others who believe top notch health care in the jail will convert criminals. Both groups are misguided. They want the law abiding citizen to give up his money for their social cause.

    Can we improve our jail. Yes, our jail can be improved tremendiously. However, not by providing more medical care or new cells. The single best thing is to reduce the jail population. From the standpoint of jail management, the Beaufort county Jail is terrible. The jail is the responsibility of both the Sheriff and the County Commissioners. The sheriff claims it is his kingdom, he just wants you to build hem a new one and keep sending lots of money. He says he does not have an opinion about a new jail, but his behavior speaks volumes otherwise.

    How do we reduce the number of prisoners in the jail? Reducing the population is not difficult. Reducing jail population does not come close to the cost of a new jail, but it does require good management. This is something the Board of Commissioners and the Sheriff do not have.

    There are several ways to reduce jail population. A speedy trial is one way. We continually have about 18 prisoners who have been there for from six months to two years. Why? Their trial dates have not been set for a variety of reasons. Some defense lawyers are judge shopping. They want an old friend or an easy judge to try a case. The District Attorney has a weak case and he is looking for a plea bargain. Some defense attorneys are not aggressive in getting cases called. A combination of the District attorney and the Sheriff are trying to sweat criminal information out of the defendant. Some defense lawyers are hoping witnesses will forget facts, or die or leave the state.

    There are those whose health is bad or have mental health problems. They may be un diagnosed, or not taking medicine on schedule. Some may be under the care of a mental health professional.

    There are those who cannot make bond because they have skipped out on bonds, are indigent, or have lost their job because they are in jail.

    What can be done about these classes of inmates? The answer is "A lot can be done". One size does not fit all. We would not use the same methods to deal with the District Attorney as for someone who could not make bond.

    Who is keeping score on those who have been in jail more than 6 months. As far as I know, no body but me. What if the County put on its web site a list of those have been guests of the County for more than six mounts along with what they are charged with and the name of their attorney. What does that cost in comparison to the 900 dollars each day we are to keep them in jail.

    What about getting those with bad health on ankle bracelets. What about assisting those who cannot make bond but have a place to stay to be on ankle bracelets. What about mental health screening.

    I fully realize the cooperation of both the judges and District attorney is needed to make this work.

    Beaufort County has never taken the first step to screen prisoners to reduce the population of the jail. Some counties have a person or persons who work daily to reduce jail populations. I am not talking about inventing the wheel. Many jurisdictions have already done what I am talking about.

    I do have strong opinions that the person who does this cannot report to certain departments. They should be employed by the county and accountable to the county. We have a Sheriff who simply does not care and has not lifted the first finger to reduce jail populations.

    We do not need a new jail. We need to manage the one we have.