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That help may be in the form of a new or enlarged jail. The current facility was built to house 85 inmates. There are currently approximately 121 people behind bars in the 22-year-old jail.
In a special administrative session of Superior Court last week, District Attorney Bill Graham added some cases to the docket in order to help ease the overcrowding problem. “We're trying to do the best we can to alleviate jail crowding. We were able to dispose of some in the jail but they're adding some back in. The net is they are still overcrowded.”
The problem is as inmates are bonded out or their cases dealt with in court, more inmates are coming in, Graham said. The county averages about 100 new felonies a month. “We dispose of what we can,” Graham said. “Last week we had a good week.”
Last week, the DA's office closed approximately 118 cases on a docket that had approximately 649 cases.
Those 649 cases represented defendants who had multiple charges against them, Graham said. “We're trying to plea bargain. That's the only way you can deal with it.”
The DA's office tries to handle backlogs during one administrative session per month and one trial court per month. “We lost one administrative week and one trial week while we were doing the (month-long) Timothy Allen (resentencing) case. I think we did a good job last week.”
The special court sessions are a help, Frazier said, but not the whole answer. “We appreciate all they are doing. It's an ongoing thing.”
The sheriff said, however, “I think it's time for the county to have to look to building a new jail facility.”
The projected growth in the county from Carolina Crossroads and other projects is one of Frazier's biggest concerns. “We have to look at what's coming to us instead of reacting. We've got to get a workforce in place.”
Frazier points to a recent vacation he took in Pigeon Forge, Tenn., which is the home of Dollywood. A long-time law enforcement captain told him the theme park owned by country music superstar Dolly Patron “doubled just about everything they had. If they had 50 officers, they got 100. The inmates doubled.”
What they saw in Pigeon Forge was not all bad, Frazier said, but there were increases in robberies and shoplifting and trouble from people passing in and out of town. “He pointed out there used to be one stop light. Now they have 20.”
Frazier is hopeful the upswing anticipated here will be good for the area. “I hope it grows as anticipated. With that comes growing pains.”
State jail inspectors have said the sheriff's office must develop a plan to address jail overcrowding. To ease the population problem would mean doubling the size of the current jail which would cost an estimated $6 million.
“In April I asked the commissioners to come up with a plan and told them I needed 10 more employees,” Frazier said. “I felt like it was my duty to let the commissioners know that and I did.”
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