One-for-one policy remains in effect at jail

The inmate count Wednesday at the Garland County Detention Center remained above the threshold that triggered its temporary closure last week, requiring one person to be released for every new one booked into the jail.

Sgt. John Schroeder, the training and media relations coordinator for the Garland County Sheriff’s Department, said as of Wednesday morning about

20 inmates eligible for early release or alternative sentencing had been discharged since the sheriff’s office announced the temporary closure July

10. The online inmate roster showed as of Wednesday afternoon the jail held about 30 inmates who had been booked since the announcement.

Schroeder said 63 women and 276 men were being held as of Wednesday morning, not including more than 20 inmates assigned to Garland County as part of the Arkansas Department of Correction’s 309 work release program for state prisoners working in county jails and local law enforcement agencies.

The five male pods the county can staff have 297 beds, and the female pod has 68 beds. The jail said last week that population counts reaching 95 percent of those totals pose an unacceptable risk to inmate and staff safety.

A memo the sheriff’s office issued last week said the one-for-one policy will remain in effect until the non-309 population falls below 58 women and 252 men. A one-for-one policy has been in effect for female inmates since February.

Information the jail provided last week showed seven of its eight housing units were occupied, including the F unit, which is holding more than 20 women who work in the kitchen as part of the 309 program.

Schroeder said 23 inmates were on ADC’s back up list Wednesday morning, but only two were eligible for transfer to state facilities. He said the 21 serving 90-day sanctions are ineligible for ADC placement. Dina Tyler, ADC

director of communications, said inmates serving 90-to-180 day sanctions as part of the Supervision Sanction Program can be held in Arkansas Community Correction facilities, which hold probationers and parolees.

“The sheriff’s office might be confusing them with the 90-day revocations,” she said. “Those are parolees whose community supervision has been revoked by the Parole Board. They have qualified for the 90-day program. They can go to ADC, but because of the size of the backup, they usually end up spending all 90 days in the county jail.”

It is unclear if the 21 inmates are parolees whose supervision outside a correctional setting has been revoked or probationers and parolees in the Supervision Sanction Program, as Schroeder had not responded to a request for clarification by presstime Wednesday.

Tyler said ADC’s database showed 36 men and two women were on the county’s backup list Wednesday afternoon, with eight awaiting transfer to the ACC.

A presentation by Sheriff Mike McCormick and Chief Deputy of Corrections Steven Elrod is on the agenda for Monday night’s Garland County Quorum Court Public Health, Welfare and Safety Committee meeting. Details of the nature of the presentation have not been released.