(Editor's Note: I am publishing a series on Justice and Sentencing Reform as it relates to our state and cities. Last month we listed statistics from several independent groups who study the jail systems of the U.S. This month we begin covering the more populated Georgia counties.)
“Now, it’s time to do even more,” said Sheriff Jeff Mann of the DeKalb County, Georgia, Sheriff’s Department. (official site).
“Our officers face serious challenges every day," said Mann. "From serving warrants on offenders to keeping the peace within our courts to managing a jail population the size of a small city.”
Many citizens do not know about the rampant overcrowding in jail facilities across Georgia and the nation. It is estimated that 1 in every 31 people are behind bars.
Why the crowding when most inmates are non-violent offenders? Blame it on the 90s.
As the consequence of ‘three strikes’ laws; the increase in the time of incarceration in the last decade was most pronounced in the case of life prison sentences. These increased by 83% between 1992 and 2003.
According to law scholars; determinate sentencing, the use of mandatory minimums, and guidelines- based sentencing continue to remove the human element from our courts. In turn, this removed the prerogative of the judge to consider the mitigating or extenuating circumstances of a crime to determine the appropriate length of the incarceration.
Eventually it means our system has to pay for the care of these people. Imagine a 30-year old being supported for an estimated 30-60 years through security, food, shelter and health care. In many prisons this includes television, cell phone and digital gaming privileges for inmates.
At the end of 2013, the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office housed more than 3,000 inmates daily at the DeKalb County jail.
Currently, the facility serves all local law enforcement agencies, which means that the inmate could be from a distant Georgian county but is awaiting transfer papers. This creates a backlog, and overcrowding.
Whereas Humans do the processing and attend to the health and well being of inmates; there are just too few officers and personnel to go around. DeKalb is not the only county suffering from the added burden of inmates. Under this system, it is easy for a person who is innocent to be kept behind bars for great lengths of time until processing.
To read personal accounts of citizens who have been arrested, go to http://countyjail.net .
In his outlook for the future, Sheriff Mann emphasizes a “…commitment by the Office to improved efficiency and transparency; increased focus on recruitment, training, and development; continued investment in technology; expansion of recidivism programs; and ongoing development of community partnerships.” (source: http://www.dekalbsheriff.org/web/about/bios.php )
We wish the Sheriff, his office, and other counties good luck. The problem with overcrowding will be around for a while.
-- -Ray Macon
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