County Executive Views Situation as Vicious Cycle
Speak the words “overcrowded jail” and Sullivan County leaders have plenty of things to say.
County Executive Keith Westmoreland likes to describe the ensuing discussion as a “gripe session” and it isn’t long before one understands why.
At best, Westmoreland sees the county heading toward the same problems it experienced before construction of the $6 million county jail when the old jail faced severe overcrowding, and no immediate help from the state was in sight.
“It’s a vicious cycle,” Westmoreland said Friday. ‘”It’s the same situation with the old jail; we’ll be back in federal court for overcrowding.” “Then what are we going to do, build another jail?” Westmoreland said.
The county jail continues to be filled to capacity — with a once-deemed “temporary” jail annex still in full operation — and the county sees no slack in boarding state prisoners.
By his own admission, Westmoreland has long “raised cain” to legislators about matters such as the state’s decision to place a cap on funding to counties for board bills, but the expenses don’t stop there.
Medical expenses for inmates are always high and the county continually faces lawsuits filed by state prisoners.
The lawsuits usually focus on complaints about their housing in the county jail.
“They (state inmates) have no access to the luxuries they would have,” Westmoreland said about inmates the county is required to house.
Also, the county must pay for additional personnel to oversee operation of the jail annex which stays full, Westmoreland said.
About 110 state inmates were housed in the county jail last week,
“We’ve got plenty of other expenses than holding and feeding,” Westmoreland said.
Westmoreland finds fault with state policy that requires prisoners to stay overnight in a hospital before providing funding reimbursement.
“The Tennessee Corrections Department is trying to make crooks out of everybody,” Westmoreland said.
County Commissioner Bob Ammons agreed Friday that fellow commissioners, for the most part, carry some resentment against the state for their continual jail dilemma.
“Why should we on the local level be required to pay for state prisoners?” Ammons said.
“The state should take care of its own,’’ Ammons said.
Commenting on the state cap on board bills, Westmoreland said, “We don’t want their money, we want them to take their people.”
“It irritates the commissioners, but we’re powerless,” Ammons said.
“The state needs to stop throwing the burden on the property tax,” he said.
