Pubdate: Sun, 13 Jan 2002
Source: Chattanooga Times & Free Press (TN)
Website: http://www.timesfreepress.com/index.html
Address: P.O. Box 1447, Chattanooga, TN 37403
Email:  2001 Chattanooga Publishing Co.
Author: Judy Walton
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine)

FEDERAL PRISONERS JAM COUNTY'S JAIL, WORKHOUSE

The battle against methamphetamine in Southeast Tennessee is part of 
the reason Hamilton County's jail and workhouse are bulging at the 
seams, local officials say.

On any given day, about 250 federal prisoners wait in local lockups 
to be tried, county Chief of Staff Jeannine Alday said last week. 
They're split about evenly between the county jail and Silverdale 
Workhouse, comprising roughly a quarter of the prisoner population in 
each of those facilities.

Jail chief Jim Hart said a "big proportion" of those prisoners are 
facing drug charges from the three-year methamphetamine crackdown in 
Hamilton and 17 surrounding counties.

"We were averaging about 30 to 40 a day" before the Methamphetamine 
Task Force cranked up, Chief Hart said. The federal government has 
put $3 million into the meth crackdown so far.

Terese Robinson of the U.S. Marshal's office in Chattanooga said not 
only are there more federal prisoners in local cells, they're staying 
longer awaiting trial.

Under federal law, if the crime they are charged with carries a 
penalty of 10 years or more, no bond is allowed, she said.

Besides the methamphetamine defendants, there usually are a 
sprinkling of crack cocaine dealers and bank robbers in the local 
jail as well, Ms. Robinson said. Chief Hart said the county also 
holds illegal immigrants for the Immigration and Naturalization 
Service.

"Jail crowding is just people (in law enforcement) who are doing 
their job," he said. The jail's capacity is 489, but the average head 
count is 581, he said.

"Obviously if the federal inmates were gone, we would be under our 
capacity," Chief Hart said.

The county has applied for up to $18 million in federal grants to 
build a new lockup for federal prisoners. Ms. Alday told county 
commissioners last week she hopes for word on the grants by the end 
of the month.

The federal center most likely would be located at the Silverdale 
Workhouse, she said. The county would have to decide whether to staff 
the facility or contract with Corrections Corporation of America, 
which operates the workhouse, to run it, she added.

Uncle Sam now pays the county $34 a day for each federal prisoner at 
the workhouse and $56 a day a for each prisoner at the county jail, 
Ms. Alday said.

Separately, a Hamilton County Grand Jury has recommended building a 
new county jail.

Sheriff John Cupp said a new federal lockup would only delay, not 
end, the need for a new county jail.

When the county spent $8 million remodeling the jail around 1994, it 
expected to have adequate space through 2005, he said. Instead, the 
cells filled up almost right away. He said the laundry, kitchen and 
other needs have "outgrown" their facilities.

Chief Hart said he has talked to the sheriff about a Department of 
Justice program that brings together law enforcement, judges, 
prosecutors and others involved in criminal justice to look for ways 
to ease jail populations. Those methods could include new jail space, 
more early releases, creation of more diversionary programs and other 
tactics, he said.

Chief Hart said the public often assumes that the sheriff and jailers 
are responsible for solving jail overcrowding.

"But a lot of times the sheriff and the people running the jail have 
the least opportunity to try to correct that problem," Chief Hart 
said.

Uncle Sam ought to play a part in that correction by helping the 
county build new space, said Commissioner Harold Coker, chairman of 
the county's Security and Corrections committee.

"It's' a good solution, not a perfect solution, in that it doesn't 
take any property tax dollars, of which we have none," he said.
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