Inmates sleeping on the floor. Wake County is pushing on space limits in its jails.
Wake County’s jails are rapidly running out of space, with some inmates already forced to sleep on the floor.
Projections show the county will need to speed up its plan to spend $21.9 million to re-open the detention center annex. And that only solves part of the problem.
“Your jail is full,” Bill Lawhorn, with CGL Companies, told the Wake County Board of Commissioners on Monday. “You’re starting to push those limits on those empty beds.”
How many jail beds does Wake County have?
Wake County has 1,568 jail beds across two facilities:
▪ There are 480 beds across five floors at the maximum-security facility at the Public Safety Center in downtown Raleigh.\
▪ There are 1,088 beds at the three-story Wake County Detention Center, off of Hammond Road.
But more people are being incarcerated in the jails, and for longer periods of time.
▪ The average daily jail population was 1,383 in 2023, up 68% from 2000.
▪ The average length of stay was 33 days in 2023, up nearly 58% from 2000, though that was three days less than in 2022.
Some people in the jails are serving county sentences, usually less than a year. Others are awaiting transfer to a different facility.
And others are awaiting trial, some for three or four years, said Dail Butler, Wake County’s detention director.
“Back in the day when we only had the Public Safety Center, as everyone knows or most everybody knows, we had people sleeping on the floor,” Butler said Monday. “We got away from that after opening up the detention center. But, unfortunately, about three months ago we had to go back to putting people on the floor. Presently we’ve got about 45 people sleeping on the floor right now.”
The Wake County Sheriff’s Office clarified Tuesday that inmates on the floor sleep on mattresses and “EZ bunks,” thin plastic mats with edges that holds the mattresses in place.
“We are not at capacity; however, as the population growth trend continues, it is a challenge and highlights the need for more space,” according to the Sheriff’s Office’s statement. “It is important to know that inmates are not sleeping on the floor. Due to ongoing renovations, not all cells are able to be utilized, which has resulted in 43 inmates utilizing EZ bunks. A mattress is placed in the EZ bunk, which is a platform bed sleep surface. “
Available beds don’t always match needs
Wake County has three types of housing for people with varying security needs:
- Dorms, often used by minimum-security inmates, at the Wake County Detention Center
- Dry cells, or rooms without running water and plumbing, for medium-security inmates at the Wake County Detention Center
- Wet cells, or rooms with running water and plumbing, for maximum- security inmates at the Public Safety Center.
Several factors go into classifying inmates, including the person’s current charges, past convictions, escape history, physical and mental disabilities and substance use.
Most of the beds in Wake County are for medium- or minimum-security prisoners. But the county has seen a 300% in its maximum-security population. In 2023, about 44% of the county’s jail population was considered maximum security.
There has been an increase in the number of violent offenders nationally, said Chloe Jaco, with CGL Companies.
Inmates charged with violent felonies may not qualify for bail or might have higher bail amounts. And they are less likely to qualify for programs for first-time offenders or those charged with misdemeanors.
Why is the jail annex closed?
Wake County closed its detention annex in 2013 when it opened the Wake County Detention Center. It’s been maintained to state standards but has accumulated deferred maintenance and lacks fire sprinklers in parts of the building.
The annex was set to be funded in fiscal year 2026 through fiscal year 2028. But now demand will likely force the funding into this year’s budget proposal, which could delay the county’s other construction projects.
If the inmate population continues to grow, the annex would only be a temporary solution. And Wake County would have to consider adding new beds on the Hammond Road property. Those 896 beds could be added in one phase or two. The cost of those additions have not been calculated yet.
And too few beds is not the only shortage the jail system faces.
Wake County is supposed to have 507 detention staff members, including supervisors. But it has closer to 300. Adding the annex would require another 123 staff members, and the next phase would require another 163.
“The two options presented to county commissioners Monday night express the importance of space, and we are asking for them to continue to work with us on the project,” Sheriff Willie Rowe said in the Tuesday statement. “While there is a cost associated with expanding the detention center, it is important for the inmates and the detention officers tasked with safeguarding them to be in up-to-date facilities, in both security and space. We continue to work and build relationships with community-based groups focused on alternatives to incarceration, rehabilitation and reentry, and mental health services. We believe in providing all available opportunities for support.”
Wake County leaders will continue talking about jail space in April.
NC Reality Check is an N&O series holding those in power accountable and shining a light on public issues that affect the Triangle or North Carolina. Have a suggestion for a future story? Email realitycheck@newsobserver.com
This story was originally published February 27, 2024 at 8:15 AM.
