As I promised, I want to share with you the report that I presented to the Guilford County Commissioners on behalf of the Committee for Alternatives to Incarcerations.  I want to also thank all of the members of this committee for giving of their time and talent in an effort to address the challenge that was given them in such a short time.  The citizens of this County owe them a great deal of gratitude.

The members of that committee are as follows: Skip Alston, Chairman of the committee, Commissioners Kay Cashion, Bruce Davis, John Parks and Linda Shaw, County Manager David McNeil, Budget Director Michael Halford, Assistant County Attorney Martha Rogers, Pre-Trail Services Director Wheaton Casey, Major Herb Jackson, of the Sheriff's Department, Major Deborah Montgomery of the Sheriff's Department, Crystal Maurer, Deputy Clerk, Wally Harrelson, Public Defender, Doug Henderson, District Attorney, Vernonica, Edmisten,  Assistant District Attorney, Judge Joseph E. Turner, Chief District Court Judge, Deena Hayes, Guilford County School Board, Yvonne Johnson, Greensboro City Counciland Director of One Step Further, Steve Bowden, Attorney, Donald and Sarah Graham, Christian Counseling and Wellness Center, Past Cliff Lovick, Director of Malachi House, Mittie Smith, Attorne, and Scott Yost, of the Rhinoceros Times.

I started my report by giving some background information on the combined population totals for the jails in both Greensboro and High Point for the Peak periods of the years 2000 thru 2005 as they were stated in the Jail Study Report that was conducted by an independent consultant that was recommended by the Sheriff and hired by the County Commissioners.

The report states the following:  Year 2000 - 784 inmates, 2001 - 815 inmates, 2002 - 826 inmates, 2003 - 878 inmates, 2004 - 878 inmates, 2005 - 926 inmates.

As of March 8, 2007 the day that I gave my report, the population of the Greensboro Jail was 476 and the population for the High Point Jail was 307.  The total population for both jails on March 8, 2007 was 783, one less than the total for the year 2000.  Which contradicts the fact that the jail population is growing. The total capacity for the Greensboro jail is 397 and for the High Point jail it is 274.

Therefore, on March 8, 2007 the Greensboro jail was over capacity by 79 inmates and the High Point jail was over capacity by 33 inmates, for a total over capacity of 122 inmates.

At the February 8 2007 meeting the Board of Commissioners at my request authorized $240,000.00 for the hiring of six new Pre-Trial Services workers, which, according to Wheaton Casey the Director of Pre-Trial Services and District Attorney Doug Henderson, will remove approximately 151 inmates from the Greensboro jail and approximately 90 inmates from the High Point Jail for a total population reduction of 241 inmates by hiring six additional workers to assist with Pre-Trial Services.  (Pre-Trail Services is a program conducted by the State and funded by the County to make sure that inmates who are charged with a crime, that fit a certain criteria, are released from jail and monitored during the time that they are out to make sure they show up for their court date.)

Also, at the meeting on February 8, 2007, at my request, the County Commissioners allocated $119,000 for the establishment of a Mental Health Court.  This program was recommended by Chief District Court Judge Joseph Turner, who stated that approximately 17 - 18% of the current inmates in jail as of March 8 have some sort of mental illness.  He also, stated that when these people come to court for a crime that they committed, the Judges have no other choice but to put them in jail until their court date.  He stated that if we had a separate court for the Mentally ill, these inmates can be adjudicated faster.

Therefore, if 17% of the 783 inmates that were in the Guilford County jails as of March 8, 2007, could be adjudicated by the Mental Health Court, another 133 inmates could be out of the County jail. 

So, if we are able to get approximately 241 inmates out of the County jail by hiring an additional six Pre-Trail workers and approximately 133 inmates by funding the Mental Health Court, that means that we can reduce the population of the jail almost immediately,  by 374 inmates. 

Again, the population of both jails as of March 8, 2007 was 783, if we were to reduce the jail population by 374 inmates, that will leave only 409 inmates in our County jails.  Again, the capacity of the two jails is 671 inmates, that means that by implementing just these two programs, our current jail will be at only 61% capacity.

For sake of argument, what if we implement these programs and only half of the projections above were realized, the capacity of our current jail still will be only 89% of it's capacity. (783 inmates - 187 inmates equals 596 inmates remaining in our current jail which has a capacity of 671 inmates. )

The committee that recommended the funding of the above two programs, also recommended that the County Commissioners consider funding for several other programs that will further reduce the over crowding in the current jail.  They are as follows: 

1. Electronic House Arrest
2. Establishment of a Drug Court in High Point. (The County currently only funds a Drug Court in Greensboro)
   
3. The establishment of a Mental Health Court in High Point, 
   
4. Conduct Rocket Dockets at least twice a year instead of once a year.  Rocket Dockets are when the DA and the Judges, look at cases that have been backlogged and for one full day concentrate only on those cases and bring those cases to trail.  One day of Rocket Dockets can address approximately 50 - 75 cases or more.

The committee also recommended that we consider contracting with outside nonprofit agencies that may also offer pre-trial services, or services that may address the overcrowding in the jail.  Non-profits that were mentioned, but not to be conclusive are, One Step Further, Malachi House, Delancy Street, Summit House and Christian Counseling and Wellness Center.

The Committee also recommended that we have a separate meeting with the District Court and Superior Court Judges, to determine from them what programs they will feel comfortable with and will consider using, in an effort to further reduce the overcrowding in the jail.

The Jail Study Report stated that if we continue to do what we are doing now and if we do not implement any alternative to incarceration, then we will have to build a new jail.  However, the report also recommended that we implement many of the programs which have been outlined above which will reduce the population of the inmates currently in our jail.

If I am missing something in this picture, please let me know.  But for the life of me I can't see how anyone can make a legitimate argument for a new jail.