Dear Augusta Press Editor,
An article by WRDW reporter Sydney Heiberger, “Augusta jail fills as pandemic adds pressure to jury trial backlog,” stated, “The Charles B. Webster Detention Center can house 1,050 inmates, and right now there are about 1,000. While a delay in jury trials due to COVID-19 has certainly worsened this problem, overcrowding is nothing new.” What overcrowding? Until 51 more inmates are added, there is no overcrowding.
Moreover, there is no pressure on anything or anyone other than the inmates. For the jail staff, inmates mean job security and a steady paycheck. For the inmate, jail means humiliation and enduring a variety of human parasites who seek legal fees, bail bond fees, telephone fees, snack fees, etc.
On top of that, inmates have the added pressure of knowing they are at the mercy of a corrupt prison industrial complex.
Kevin Palmer
Evans, Ga.
[adrotate banner=”45″]
