Pubdate: Wed, 01 Jun 2005
Source: Gainesville Sun, The (FL)
Copyright: 2005 The Gainesville Sun
Contact:  http://www.sunone.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/163
Author: Cindy Swirko, Sun Staff Writer
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/prison.htm (Incarceration)

PANEL LOOKS TO REDUCE JAIL POPULATION

Recommendations to reduce the Alachua County jail population will be
developed by a panel of criminal justice officials in an effort to
avert a costly jail expansion.

The Public Safety Coordinating Council was asked by the County
Commission on Thursday to review the types of cases for which inmates
are jailed, how they were ordered to the lockup and other data to
figure out how more inmates can be weeded out without jeopardizing
public safety.

"The problem has been around for some time but we haven't quite gotten
our arms around this gorilla yet," Commissioner Rodney Long said.
"Building a new jail at $12 million is not something this community
wants."

County commissioners met jointly with the Public Safety Coordinating
Council - which includes judges, prosecutors and Public Defender Rick
Parker - Thursday to try to find solutions to the crowding. The
average number of jail inmates in June was 1,009. The jail is designed
for about 782 inmates but it can fit about 900 depending on the
breakdown of inmate gender, crime classification and other factors.

Inmates now sometimes have to sleep in hallways and other areas
because of the crowding.

County commissioners have been searching for ways to keep arrestees
from being brought to the jail. For instance, police can issue notices
to appear for a court date for minor infractions rather than make an
arrest requiring a jail booking. Commissioners want to know if such
alternatives can be increased.

Another possibility involves inmates sentenced to serve weekends in
the jail. Instead, perhaps those offenders can be placed on weekend
work crews to do projects around the county.

Temple University criminal justice professor Alan Harland was on hand
Thursday to talk about a report he co-authored for the National
Institute of Corrections, which was contracted to do a study of the
jail.

Harland said the county should consider creating the job of "jail
population specialist." Duties would include monitoring all inmates on
a daily basis to make sure they are quickly moved into programs that
could get them out of the jail. The specialist would also work with
judges, jail staff and others to share information, and identify ways
to reduce crowding.

Outgoing Chief Circuit Judge Stan Morris said the coordinating council
has been hesitant to make recommendations without first getting a
request from the commission, citing the separate roles of the judicial
and legislative bodies.

But once asked, Morris agreed.

"We'll call a meeting of the (council) and give you recommendations.
As long you are asking, I don't feel I'm stepping over the lines,"
Morris said. "The bigger picture here that the public is entitled to
know is that we are not as efficient as we can be. What we are
learning to day is that we are not going about this correctly."
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MAP posted-by: Richard Lake