Category: Sullivan County

Overcrowding: Jail’s biggest hurdle

A new Sullivan County committee hopes to find a solution to overcrowding at the Blountville jail by January 2015. In September, the Tennessee Corrections Institute recommended decertification of Sullivan County’s jail due to crowding and procedural problems. Sheriff Wayne Anderson and Mayor Richard Venable went to the institute’s Board of Control to deter the organization's recommendation. "The TCI comes in and inspects the jail once a year,” Anderson said. “If they find a problem, they are going to bring it to your attention." The TCI's audit of the jail included a few problems. "We were subject to maybe losing our certification because of these issues," Anderson said. "We went down there and corrected the biggest part. The biggest thing we couldn't correct is overcrowdedness." Because several issues were corrected, the TCI said it would be satisfied if the county creates a committee to improve crowding issues. The jail ad hoc committee met for the first time Wednesday, with the goal of retaining certification from the TCI. The committee determined that it would research the problems and develop recommendations for the county commission by January, just in time for budget sessions in 2015 and TCI’s annual visit. Major Greg Simcox, a committee member, said TCI had found some policy issues with jail procedures during its last visit. For example, Simcox said, Sullivan County's written policy said people on suicide watch had to be checked every 15 minutes. "There's no way that we could ever get that done, but TCI doesn't require us to check them every 15 minutes," Simcox said. Jail administration has adjusted the policy. The administration also has improved its logging procedures regarding

Bristol Herald Courier – …In September, the Tennessee Corrections Institute recommended decertification of Sullivan County’s jail due to crowding…  Read More

Build It and They Will Come

Sullivan County, Tenn., sheriff searches for ways to reduce jail population The Sullivan County Correctional Facility is bursting at the seams. The facility was designed to hold around 600 inmates but routinely houses more than 800 inmates at one time. The problem has led Sullivan County Sheriff Wayne Anderson to look at alternative forms of sentencing. He wants to keep the community safe, he said, but at the same time, he is looking at ways to reduce the inmate population. “We have had to deal with overcrowding for so many years,” Anderson said. “Every jail in Tennessee is like it. I don't think you are going to find one that is not overcrowded. If not, , they will be — build it, and they will come." This is not the first time Anderson has addressed overcrowding in the jail. It was just six years ago, in 2006, that the Sheriff's Office completed a $3 million expansion to the jail that increased capacity by 223 inmates. Recently, the discussion has centered on ankle bracelets. These devices are tied to a global positioning system satellite and track an inmate's movements. Under the proposal, an inmate would wear the ankle bracelet and be able to serve time under house arrest. The district attorney general's office and some judges support the proposal, and Anderson has started conversations with the county commissioners about using GPS bracelets. Commissioner Mark Bowery, of Kingsport, brought the idea up at a recent committee meeting, saying he sees alternative sentencing as a way to reduce costs at the jail - "I am trying to further the conversation and make sure we have all the information,” Bowery said. Growth in drug culture Anderson became sheriff in 1998, when the jail population hovered around 300 inmates. Over time, the population has grown. The main

Bristol Herald Courier – …We have had to deal with overcrowding for so many years. Every jail in Tennessee is like it… If not, they will be – build it, and they will come… Read..

Jail Annex Open for Operation

Inmates Move Into New Jail Some residents of the Sullivan County jail have a new home - right across the street. A group of inmates was moved into the county’s new jail addition Wednesday evening. The addition will hold 240 minimum- to medium-security inmates, but only 96 prisoners have moved so far, said Capt. Keith Elton of the Sheriff’s Office. Elton said it’s easier to ensure security during such a transfer when it’s done in smaller doses. “It takes a long time getting them in and getting them out and getting their property,” he said. No incidents were reported during the transfer, said Sheriff Wayne Anderson. Other inmates will be moved in a few days, he said. He could not release the date for security reasons. The $3.4 million addition was scheduled to open last week, but construction oversights delayed the inmate transfer. Cell doors lacked “pie holes,” or small slits to pass items to an inmate without opening the door. Sixteen cell doors also had to be refitted, Anderson said. The problems have been corrected, the sheriff said, but a few small projects are yet to be completed. Telephones for the inmates to make calls have not arrived, he said. Although not a necessity, Anderson said each detail contributes to the overall safety and security of the jail. “{Inmates] don’t have to have a telephone, but at the same time, it eases tensions when they can call home,” he said. “We just want to make sure everything is good and safe both for the officers and the inmates.” The phones should arrive Monday, he said. The new addition was built to alleviate overcrowding in the old jail, which has 383 beds but regularly holds more than 500 inmates. The facility has eight large dormitory-style cell blocks. Together, the facilities will cost about $1.2 million each year to operate.

Bristol Herald Courier – …The new addition was built to alleviate overcrowding in the old jail… Together, the facilities will cost about $1.2 million each year to operate…   Read More

Work Begins on Jail Addition

Construction Begins New Facility will be capable of housing 240 inmates and hopefully solve jail’s overcrowding problem The inmates who slept on floor mats at the Sullivan County jail last night may be sleeping in beds one year from today. Construction began Monday on an addition to the overcrowded facility. BurWil Construction of Bristol will complete the 30,000-square-foot building within 360 days, said Claude Smith, the county ’s construction manager. "I don't believe it’ll take that long,” he said. The building will be 386 feet long and 93 feet wide, and will hold four large bays and one smaller bay to house 240 minimum-to medium-security inmates. Overcrowding has been a problem at the jail for years, according to Maj. Brenda Hensley, jail supervisor. The jail opened in 1987 and was expanded in 2000. There are 383 beds, but the lockup held 618 inmates Monday and 644 last week, Hensley said. She said she is glad county officials have taken action. “They were proactive enough to know that we were having a problem, to know that we were going to have a worse problem,” she said. Overcrowding causes problems among inmates and could eventually result in lawsuits, she said. “There’s a lot of agitation, fights, fussing and that’s harder on our officers ... writing incident reports, having to do disciplinary board hearings. So it’s just more work for everyone.” The Sullivan County Commission issued a $6 million bond last year to pay for the expansion, a new Health Department building and repairs to Sullivan County schools. About $3.1 million of that total was set aside for the jail addition. In January, bids on the expanded facility came in at $3.7 million. The project cost was reduced to $3.4 million when some improvements, including exterior fencing and a car wash, were removed and some of the building materials were changed. In February, the Sullivan County Commission allocated an extra $430,000 for the project. The new price tag includes excavation work already completed, Smith said, along with kitchen furniture and the building itself. But even with the addition, Hensley said overcrowding will continue at the jail and there are no plans to accommodate any more inmates. Still, she is happy just to get a few more inmates off the floors. “We’re tickled to death,” she said. “I wish I was (already) cutting the ribbon.”

Bristol Herald Courier – … But even with the addition, Hensley said overcrowding will continue at the jail and there are no plans to accommodate any more inmates. Read More

Sullivan Still Seeking Jail Solution

Sullivan Still Seeking Jail Solution The County Might consider building a combination workhouse and jail Building a workhouse to ease crowding at Sullivan County’s jail won’t work, jail officials said last week. The county needs additional space that can accommodate all levels of prisoners, including those who don’t leave for their jobs during the day. Faced with a jail population that regularly swells well beyond its capacity, county leaders have been trying to find the least expensive solution. One option was building a workhouse like Greene County’s. Now, the county might consider building a combination workhouse and regular jail. The County Commission’s Building Committee discussed that idea last week, and the full commission plans to review it at its regular meeting today. Sheriff’s Office personnel examined whether prisoners typically kept in the jail would be suitable for a proposed $3.5 million minimum-and medium-security workhouse. “We’re just making sure that with that many beds over there, we’re going to be able to use it,” said Maj. Brenda Hensley, who oversees the jail. “If you put someone in (a workhouse), they have to go out every day and work. We need a place where we can house people all day long.” The county jail, which has a capacity for 383 prisoners, usually houses more than 500. It had 563 inmates Thursday. Melody Gregory, a detention facility specialist with the Tennessee Corrections Institute, said it was wise to study the details before trying to build. “What they are attempting to do ... is to know whether building this is going to benefit them, if they’re going to have enough people of the kind that go into the workhouse,” she said. Gregory said her office reviews any jail-building plans before final approval. She had heard of the county’s proposal but was not certain it would solve the overcrowding problem. "If it will work and they can relieve the overcrowding, then I think that it’s great,” she said. “If it’s a situation that’s only going to relieve temporary overcrowding, then I would tell them to look into another situation. “They could find themselves overcrowded again in a year.”

Bristol Herald Courier – …“If it’s a situation that’s only going to relieve temporary overcrowding, then I would tell them to look into another situation… They could find themselves overcrowded again in a year.” Read..

Its Jail Full, Sullivan County Seeking Alternatives

Bristol Herald Courier – …In-jail hearings, day-reporting among programs used to reduce stress on jail… In August, the jail averaged 477 inmates, — significantly more than its capacity of 383.  Read More

Crowd Control

Bristol Herald Courier – …“I’m sleeping on the floor on a mat about an inch thick,” he said. Makeshift beds like Hensley’s dot cell floors. They’re just one problem at a jail that has been..

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