BENTONVILLE — Jail officials in Benton and Washington counties are searching for ways to cope with an increasing population as hundreds of inmates await transport to state prison.
The Benton County Jail broke a record a few weeks ago when it had 635 inmates, said Maj. Rob Holly with the Benton County Sheriff’s Office.
There are 644 beds — 500 in the main jail and 144 in the annex — in the jail, Holly said. The jail had 630 inmates Friday. Of that, 205 were state prisoners.
Washington County's jail, with 710 beds, had 626 inmates Friday. Of that, 234 were state prisoners.
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There are 2,427 inmates on state waiting lists in county jails across the state, Shea Wilson, a spokeswoman for the Arkansas Department of Correction, said earlier this month.
The Department of Correction has more than 400 beds that can be opened, but it doesn't have money to use the beds, Wilson said.
“Hopefully we will see some relief soon,” Wilson said. “Hopefully we will receive some support for the additional funding for the beds.”
One solution to overcrowding is reduce the jail’s misdemeanor population, Holly said.
Individuals arrested on misdemeanors, especially traffic offenses, will be released on citation, Holly said. However, individuals arrested in connection with domestic abuse offenses will be held for bond hearings because no-contact orders may be needed in those cases, Holly said.
Rogers District Judge Paul Bridges said he understands jail officials’ plight.
Bridges will use alternatives such as having individuals wear ankle monitors or perform community service in some cases. Jail time may be necessary for some cases, Bridges said.
Benton County Circuit Judge Robin Green said she’s mindful of the jail population and uses the the county work program in certain cases instead of jail time. Green said the work program is beneficial and appropriate in certain cases.
Benton County Circuit Judge Brad Karren agrees with Green the work program is worthy of consideration when dealing with nonviolent offenders. Karren said ankle monitors could also be used more.
Karren said he would consider using ankle monitors on individuals who plead guilty and are being held in jail awaiting space in the Department of Correction. Karren said he would only use the monitors for nonviolent offenders and a transport bond would need to be in place before he would consider releasing anyone.
The number of state inmates in the Benton County Jail has grown since July, Holly said. There were 42 state prisoners awaiting transfers to the Arkansas Department of Correction on July 15. There were 205 in the county jail Friday. The majority are individuals who were arrested for parole violations and are being held until they can be taken to the state level, Holly said.
The Benton County Sheriff’s Office receives $28 a day per state prisoner the jail holds after 30 days. Holly estimates the Sheriff’s Office could receive as much as $1.2 million from the arrangement.
Maj. Randall Denzer with the Washington County Sheriff’s Office and Holly said sometimes the public may not understand the jail population and the number of beds available.
Certain inmates are held in separate ares. For example, sex offenders are held in different pods. Pre-trial inmates are held in different pods than those already convicted of crimes. Misdemeanor inmates are also held in separate area than those with felony charges.
“We may have a 32-man cell, but there are only 10 prisoners in there because of the classifications,” Denzer said.
Overcrowding is a safety issue for inmates and jail staff, Denzer said.
“We are at the point that some are sleeping on the floor,” Denzer said.
Washington County may soon have to do like Benton County and try to limit the number of misdemeanor prisoners booked into jail, Denzer said. Judges have worked with the jail officials in the past and used ankle monitors and other alternatives in sentencing instead of jail time, Denzer said.
“We are near that point,” Denzer said.
The Washington County Jail was at one time this year holding inmates for other counties, Denzer said.
“Those days are over,” Denzer said.