The Richmond County Sheriff’s Office has spent $756,901 to replace controls at two jail pods. In a related item, the city may form a committee of involved parties from the court system and law enforcement to address issues such as jail overcrowding.
The Augusta Commission’s public safety committee received word of the emergency jail purchase Tuesday. Funds for the project are coming from money left over from prior sales taxes already designated for Webster Detention Center, Interim Administrator Takiyah Douse said.
The purchase, from Willo Products Company, will correct “outdated” controls in jail pods H and I, Interim Central Services Director Ron Lampkin said. The system controls locks, intercoms, telephones, lights and other components in the two wings of cells.
Non-functioning locks have been one of many concerns raised by the sheriff’s office in its push to add a 200-bed pod, for which the commission approved borrowing $37.5 million to build last year.
A presentation from an area scientist prompted the committee’s next move, to convene a meeting of law enforcement, jail and court administration, judges, the district attorney’s office, probation, pretrial and social services and the solicitor’s office to hash out ways to address issues at the jail.
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Donna Marain, who has observed the local court system for three years, said Georgia is No. 1 in the nation for incarcerating residents, in large part due to probation practices. But Webster’s occupancy stands out in the state both before the pandemic, when most jails weren’t fully occupied, during the pandemic, when many substantially declined and after, when it quickly rebounded up to 120% capacity.
As of Saturday, the average inmate’s length of stay was 305 days, with 10% being jailed more than two years awaiting trial, either with or without a bond being set. Twenty-one percent in jail have had a bond set but haven’t been able to pay it.
Seventy-six at Webster are teenagers, while the most prevalent charge against all inmates is “order to show cause,” which is typically a felony probation violation, Marain said.
It costs about $55 a day to house an inmate, she said. Part of the issue is Augusta spends big on public safety – 42% of the general fund budget – but much less on the court system, including needed software upgrades, she said.
Commissioner Jordan Johnson, who made the motion to assemble the committee, said looking at the data, Augusta must work to clear the backlog.
“I don’t think we can just sit on our hands and do nothing about that,” he said.
