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| Jail Staff Coping with New Inmates |
| By The Post-Searchlight |
| Published: 01/02/2006 |
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The 80 new residents of Georgia's Decatur County Jail, who are awaiting trial on a variety of felony charges, are presenting a new challenge to those watching them. Yet it's a challenge Sheriff Wiley Griffin and jail officials said they are willing to meet. Griffin said he was surprised by the seriousness of the charges facing the 80 inmates, who arrived last week from Fulton County. Inmates were sent to Decatur County and Pelham, Ga., in an effort by Fulton County Sheriff Myron Freeman to alleviate overcrowding concerns at his jail. Decatur County is receiving $35 a day for each inmate it houses. The housing of inmates in South Georgia is already undergoing legal scrutiny. Last week, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Marvin Arrington issued a court order temporarily preventing Sheriff Freeman from any further transfers of inmates to South Georgia. The court order was prompted by a motion filed by Michael Mears, director of the Georgia Public Defenders Standards Council. Mears had argued that sending Fulton County inmates to South Georgia prevented their attorneys, many who are court-appointed, from visiting their clients. According to jail logs, the 80 inmates have an array of charges against them which include the following breakdown: 50 are charged with crimes involving violence, 39 are charged with crimes involving unlawful possession or use of weapons, 28 are charged with crimes involving possession or sale of illegal drugs and nine are charged with crimes involving unlawful sexual acts. The inmates have been arrested and charged but have not yet undergone a trial to determine their guilt or innocence. Griffin said jail staff were able to handle the transfer without incident. The new additions have put the jail at its safe capacity of 175 inmates as of last week, said Capt. Janice Van Kirk, the jail's commander. |
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