we need more jails and bigger ones.
AIKEN --- The Aiken County Detention Center on Wire Road was built to alleviate overcrowding at the county's old jail, but six years after its opening it's beginning to get crowded itself, the result of a growing crime rate, officials say.
With a design capacity of 317 inmates, the 90,000-square-foot state-of-the-art detention center is much larger than the old jail, which was next to the Aiken County Sheriff's Office and had a capacity of 117. Last weekend's inmate population at the Wire Road facility, though, was 498. In June, the average daily inmate population was 440.
To handle the increase, the county council's judicial and public safety committee approved the purchase of 40 triple-bunk beds at a cost of $31,030.50. The money is coming from the inmate canteen fund.
The state Department of Corrections has approved the use of the triple bunks as a short-term solution.
"Our average population has exceeded design capacity for quite a while, but it's been manageable," said Lt. Michael Frank, spokesman for the sheriff's office, adding that the inmate population has been managed by "releasing individuals for minor crimes as quickly as possible in order to reduce" the population.
Since it opened in 2002, the detention center's inmate population has increased each year, but the center's staffing level of 74 has remained the same.
The recommended inmate-to-deputy ratio is one deputy for every 64 inmates.
"We are exceeding that number," Lt. Frank said. "Our current staffing level will remain what it is for the foreseeable future."
The detention center has been double-bunking 20 inmates for several years, but Lt. Frank said a long-term solution to the overcrowding situation would involve adding a pod to the detention center.
New construction is contingent on funding by the county council, and although that has been discussed, Lt. Frank said, there are no immediate plans.
Inmates being housed in the county jail are either waiting to go to trial or are serving sentences of less than 90 days. Convicted long-term offenders are sent to a state prison.
Reach Michelle Guffey at (803) 648-1395, ext. 110, or michelle.guffey@augustachronicle.com.
BY THE NUMBERS
317 - The number of inmates the new jail was designed to hold
498 - The number of inmates who were staying at the jail last weekend
440 - The jail's average daily inmate population in June
40 - The number of triple-bunk beds being added to balance the increase
Comments
we need more jails and bigger ones.
Build a tent city and let them sleep on cots or the ground..
We're breeding criminals way to fast. Let's keep all of the government programs in place and hope for a different result in the future.
That patriciathomas is the best definition of insanity I have read in a long while...Right on point...:-) Sarge well said but the tents need to be in the middle of the desert....The taxpayer is already burdened...Consider how much money will be save if these people didn't have more amenities in jail than they had out of jail...Many are receiving better care in than on the outside where people are supposed to be working as responsible citizens....
So, who cares, sarge has it right, put um in a tent city, feed them balogna sandwiches 3 times a day and make them wear pink!
Christian, and Sarge, the tents need to be close to a swamp where the lovely smell and the bugs exist. Double razor wire fence and make them work to build and support the camp.
"releasing individuals for minor crimes as quickly as possible in order to reduce the population": This is no way to solve the problem! If they did the crime they should do the time, don't let them out early because they committed "minor crimes". Minor crimes turn into major crimes.
I wonder who has a cousin in the bunk business? The cost of $31,00 divided by fourth equals $775 per bed for a steel bunk with a cheap matress. Does anyone else see a little problem with the cost? The thing to remember is their wording that they are getting fourty beds, not fourty "sets" of beds! Therefore each set of 3 beds will be about $2325. Not to bust their bubble, but you could get 4 times as many beds at Wallmart for the same price!! Nice job of contracting!!! By the way not all of these people have been convicted of crimes, some are waiting for court appearance so don't send them to the electric chair until you know what their offense is.
Bigger jails are not the solution. I agree with you dissman, but people are quick to judge and quick to lay blame on the government. I swear if I walked through my day to day life with such heavy chips of my shoulder I would go crazy. It's easy to lay blame but not so easy to come up with good sound solutions.
5:00 A good, sound solution is to tret criminals as such and go back to calling them penetentarys and operated as such. No color TV, no work out rooms (work'em with work on chain gangs), and keep them in tents. Just maybe, more of them will think again before acting criminally again. Now those in Aiken will know what sailors have done for ages-sleep three and four bunks stacked.
no, how about care as much for your fellow man as you do for dogs and cats.put a dog outside,under feed him, deny him adequate vet care and you'll be arrested....btw fire-dude, lots of these guys are "brothas", doesn't that erk you a little, gotta be something wrong with that picture.....i 've known people over there awaiting trial on stupid crap like dus,what the heell, i don't know too many people that would flee the area over a damn 600.00 fine and a couple of weeks slave labor,er ,community service, do you???
let'em out til they go to trial, be smart if that's possible.
if we are going to keep the gov't programs in place the just build one 100,000 regional supermax prison and be done with it
It's not a problem of overcrowding, it's a problem of poor planning. Come on, does anyone really expect the crime rate to go down? Right on with the comments above about the high prices of beds and also the tent city. See how Joe Arpaio runs his system in Arizona.
The story clearly states 40 triple bunk beds for $31k.$774 each bunk bed, $258 per bunk. This will increase capacity to 437, or three less than average June daily population.
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