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