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| Different Approach to Relieve Overcrowding |
| By Indianapolis Star |
| Published: 05/01/2002 |
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The inmate population at the Marion County Lockup stayed below a court-ordered maximum last weekend, thanks to new rules that keep people arrested on relatively minor offenses from being put behind bars. Marion County judges last week ordered police to issue court summonses -- sort of like traffic tickets -- to suspects accused of seven nonviolent crimes, including prostitution, possession of marijuana and minor theft. The new approach is aimed at keeping the population of the lockup below 297 inmates. U.S. District Judge Sarah Evans Barker last week found the county in contempt because of conditions at the lockup and warned there could be heavy fines after May 1 if too many people are at the facility and if inmates are held for more than four days. For several weeks, the lockup population had exceeded the cap by more than 100 inmates, said Marion Circuit Judge Cynthia Ayers. She was one of three judges who last week ordered that people accused of certain minor crimes not be arrested. Marion County Sheriff Jack Cottey said the plan is working. On April 14, the lockup held 327 inmates; exactly a week later, the population was 273. Summonses will be given only to people charged with nonviolent crimes and, often, to first-time offenders, Ayers said. In the longer run, the city plans to build more cell space. In January, the City-County Council approved an $11.9 million plan to build a new lockup in a four-story, city-owned warehouse. The building is immediately north of Marion County Jail II, a private facility run by Corrections Corporation of America. The new facility also is to offer more frequent court sessions, allowing suspects to be processed out more quickly, also easing the population crunch. |
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