County forming panel to review criminal justice

Elected officials, others in system to serve, begin work next month

FAYETTEVILLE — Washington County is forming a panel to consider how the county’s criminal justice system operates and what changes may be needed.

County Judge Joseph Wood told the Quorum Court on Thursday he’s begun contacting elected officials and others involved in the criminal justice system to serve on the Criminal Justice Coordinating Committee. Forming such a committee was one of the recommendations of a study commissioned from the National Center for State Courts.

The committee will begin work next month, Wood said. He said more information will be posted on the county’s website when it is finalized.

The $60,000 study was commissioned by the Quorum Court last year as the justices of the peace were looking for alternatives to a $38 million expansion of the jail. Sheriff Tim Helder told the Quorum Court the 710-bed facility was regularly over its operating capacity of 80%-85% of the number of bed spaces and sometimes exceeded capacity with detainees sleeping on the floor.

The report said the jail population issue is one problem and recommended the county expand services for pre-trial detainees to avoid the need for them to be incarcerated, with suggestions including lower bond amounts,

a mental health court, expanded mental health and substance abuse services, electronic monitoring and reminder services for those released. A Criminal Justice Coordinating Committee was recommended as the best way to bring together the different elements of the criminal justice system to consider these issues.

The announcement prompted Helder to disband a group he formed to study ways to reduce jail crowding. Helder sent a letter to group’s members Tuesday thanking them for their work.

“The study strongly suggested the CJCC not be under the purview of one elected official,” Helder said. “There is currently an effort underway to establish a County CJCC. Based on the study’s recommendation, I have made the decision to dissolve the sheriff’s work group.”

Chief Deputy Jay Cantrell said the work group included representatives from the prosecutor and public defender, the circuit judges, local law enforcement agencies, members of area medical and mental health organizations and community advocates. Cantrell said the likely overlap between the work group and a county committee also supported disbanding the work group.

Prosecutor Matt Durrett said he’ll cooperate with the new committee. Durrett said Washington County is already taking many of the actions the study mentioned, but exploring other options will be worthwhile.

The county’s criminal justice system has taken steps to reduce jail population and keep it low since the beginning of the covid-19 pandemic in March. Steps include releasing people on citation, lowering bonds and using remote meeting technology for court proceedings. The jail population was more than 800 in February and has dropped below 400 at times since. The detainee population was at 495 Friday.

“As I’ve said all along, I think we’re doing what can be done, but it never hurts to look at something else,” Durrett said. “The thing I’m looking for is efficiency.”

Stan Adelman served as jail ombudsman for the county for the past year until his contract ended in July. Adelman said he supports the committee formation to take action on the problems of crowding and inefficiencies in the courts system.

“I tell people that as ombudsman I had basically two powers, if you want to call them powers,” he said. “I could beg people, and I could try to persuade people that maybe there was a better way of doing things. A Criminal Justice Coordinating Committee will have a third power. That of discussion and consensus building, assuming everybody has bought into the process.”