NC County Budget Aims At Jail Issues
Robeson County NC officials hope a new monitoring program and hiring additional jailers will address issues at the county jail. Reported by the Fayetteville Observer.
The county Board of Commissioners has approved hiring eight jailers and allocated more than $200,000 for a monitoring program in the proposed fiscal 2010 budget. Officials say the additional jailers will meet the state’s requirement on physically monitoring inmates. The new GPS monitoring program would reduce crowding at the jail and allow nonviolent offenders to be monitored at home instead of being incarcerated. There are about 420 inmates at the jail, which is a 409-bed facility. It opened in 1992 with 250 inmates. The jail population ranges from 400 to 440 inmates a day.
A state inspector told jail officials earlier this year to change the way they observe inmates. The inspector with the state Division of Health Service Regulation says jailers should be checking on inmates in person twice an hour. Jailers now observe each inmate at least twice an hour on an irregular basis by looking through the glass on the cell door. John Harkins, the chief inspector with the Jails and Detention Section, said jailers must follow the North Carolina Administrative Code and check on each inmate twice an hour in person …
The county plans to hire four jailers this fall and four more in January or February, Windley said. The proposed budget allocates $175,000 for the positions … Officials felt two to three jailers would be needed to make the rounds instead of one to meet the state requirements …
The GPS program calls for nonviolent offenders, such as those owing child support, to be monitored through a GPS system rather than being placed in the jail. The county is allotting about $274,000 for the program, which is modeled after one in Pitt County. It will require two employees. Two road deputies will help administer the program when needed … The program is slated to start in January.
Uncategorized