Pubdate: Sun, 20 Jan 2002
Source: Messenger-Inquirer (KY)
Copyright: 2002 Messenger-Inquirer
Contact:  http://www.messenger-inquirer.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1285
Author: Justin Willis, Messenger-Inquirer
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/prison.htm (Incarceration)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/rehab.htm (Treatment)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?159 (Drug Courts)

FORMER SHERIFF & JAILER STILL WORKING WITH INCARCERATED

A 40-year veteran of Daviess County law enforcement is helping the wheels 
of justice spin more efficiently for inmates in limbo.

At least 100 criminal cases, almost all of them felonies, were settled last 
year thanks in part to the guidance and communication from Charles "Boots" 
Norris, former Daviess County sheriff and jailer.

About two days each week Norris works for the Daviess County Detention 
Center as a link between inmates at the jail, their public defenders and 
the prosecuting attorneys.

"I keep the communication rolling all the time," Norris said. "The first 
thing I tell (the inmates) is that I don't know whether I can help you or 
not, but I won't hurt you."

Norris offers his 40-plus years of experience to people who need it the 
most. Many inmates wrestling with charges involving drug abuse and other 
criminal activity rely on Norris to show them the way to recovery.

Norris strongly advocates drug court, an alternative sentencing option that 
helps steer nonviolent offenders off drugs and back into the community. His 
work shortens the amount of time inmates sit in jail awaiting an outcome of 
their charges.

Before he came out of retirement for the part-time paid position almost two 
years ago, it was not uncommon for inmates to serve out the full possible 
sentence of their crime while waiting for an outcome in court.

The inmates would leave with no new skills and no knowledge about avoiding 
the illegal drugs that frequently helped them land behind bars in the first 
place, he said.

During 2001, about 85 percent of the 525 indictments in Daviess Circuit 
Court were somehow related to narcotics, involving either burglaries to get 
cash and jewelry for drugs, robberies for drug money or assaults related to 
drug deals and territory, said Mike Van Meter, assistant commonwealth's 
attorney for Daviess County.

Of the 50 indictments that may be issued each month, roughly 45 of those go 
to the Department of Public Advocacy, Daviess County Jailer Harold Taylor said.

Often an inmate's limited chances to make phone calls to his or her 
attorney or to a prosecutor are unsuccessful. The inmates rely on Norris, 
who makes it clear to inmates that he is not an attorney, to explain 
criminal charges such as the difference between manufacturing 
methamphetamine and trafficking methamphetamine.

Norris examines many of the cases and keeps communication flowing between 
inmates and attorneys. Frequently, the result is a quicker disposition of 
the case, which results in a lighter caseload for overburdened public 
advocates and prosecutors, Norris said.

The rapidly increasing number of criminal arrests has grown more quickly 
than funding or staff at the offices of public defenders and prosecuting 
attorneys.

At 68, Norris is providing guidance to many grandchildren of people he 
arrested as a young sheriff's deputy in 1958.

But the scary thing is the new names from expensive neighborhoods that wind 
up in jail because of drugs, he said.

"It's from all over, from the better neighborhoods in the community," 
Norris said. "You think, 'My gracious, these could be my grandkids.' I 
think a lot of people don't pay attention to it until it hits them. The 
signs are there."

Every time Norris visits the jail he is greeted with 10 to 15 letters from 
inmates seeking his help in their cases. Either they don't understand the 
charges they face or are unable to reach their attorney at the Department 
of Public Advocacy.

Norris' experience includes 20 years with the sheriff's department, 11 
years at the jail and nine years as an investigator for the commonwealth's 
attorney's office.

Taylor created the position and offered it to Norris when he realized that 
such a position would help inmates and earn money for the jail.

"Boots certainly had the expertise," Taylor said. "He had a total 
understanding of the whole criminal justice system."

Once an inmate receives a final sentence, the jail begins receiving the 
state payments of $27.51 each day per inmate. Before the inmate is 
sentenced, the county jail must pay for their stay as well as any medical 
exams or surgery, Taylor said.

Because of the backlog in the court system many inmates would complain 
about not getting a chance to talk with their attorney or express a desire 
to accept a plea agreement but have no one to share that with except their 
cellmates, Taylor said.

"It's been a win-win situation for everybody involved," Taylor said. " 
Boots is well-respected by everybody he deals with, certainly by me, the 
courts and even the inmates."

Norris said he hopes he can continue to serve in the position, which gives 
him an opportunity to give something back to Daviess County, he said.

"From my standpoint, if you don't do something, if you just keep building 
jails, where are we going to be?" Norris said. "You've always got to take a 
look at the full picture and remember one thing. Everybody in there (the 
jail) is a mother, a father, a son, a daughter. We've got to remember 
they're human beings with bodies and souls."
- ---
MAP posted-by: Jackl