Inmates are sleeping on Wake County jail floors. Why a fix will take time.
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- The expansion could cost as much as $216 million.
- The expansion would add another 600 beds and finish no earlier than late 2029
- The county will temporarily reopen the Hammond Road detention center annex in 2027
Mattresses on the floor will remain the short-term fix to overcrowding as Wake County moves forward with expansion plans for its detention centers.
When beds fill up, the Wake County Sheriff’s Office places “EZ Bunks” on the jail floors. The thin plastic mats have edges that hold mattresses in place on the floor.
County officials blame overcrowding in part on a strained judicial system, with staffing shortages in state prisons, prosecutors’ offices and courts forcing more inmates to stay in county jails longer.
The county’s stopgap solution is temporarily reopening the Wake County Detention Center annex on Hammond Road, but that won’t happen until early next year.
The annex closed in 2013 when the Detention Center opened across the street, and since then some maintenance needs have gone unaddressed. Parts of the building also lack fire sprinklers.
In the meantime, overcrowding remains an issue, with the county’s two jails, on Hammond Road and at the Public Safety Center in downtown Raleigh, short nearly 100 beds at one point in February.
Reopening the annex will add 200 beds.
The long-term plan is to build a new wing on the Detention Center, which houses most of the county’s roughly 1,500 inmates.
The expansion will add 600 beds and could take four years to complete.
County officials say there’s no need for a bond or tax increase to fund construction, which could cost as much as $216 million. The county already dedicates a portion of every tax dollar to large projects like the jail, and that should cover the cost of the project.
The Wake County Board of Commissioners will vote on the plans Monday.
Sheriff Willie Rowe said the expansion will help keep detainees safe and meet state standards.
“Those priorities highlight the necessity of the planned expansion of our [detention facility],” he said in a statement. “The project is expected to add hundreds of additional beds, along with updated infrastructure and enhanced security measures.”
Who do Wake County’s detention facilities hold?
- As of February, Wake County held over 1,600 inmates
- Many inmates are awaiting trial, sometimes for as long as three or four years.
- Some people in the jails are serving county sentences, usually less than a year
- 100 inmates should be in state correctional facilities, but due to staffing shortages, the state can’t hold them
- More people accused of violent crimes are now required to stay in jail while awaiting trial. Iryna’s law, passed last year after a woman was stabbed on a Charlotte train, prohibits releasing people charged with violent crimes based on written promises to appear in court.
- Wake County’s growing population also contributes to a general increase in inmates, county officials say
BEHIND THE STORY
MOREBy the numbers
Wake County has two detention 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.
That’s a total of 1,552 beds.
County detention facilities held 1,659 inmates as of February, almost 7% more than their capacity.
Reopening the detention center annex in the first quarter of 2027 will add another 240 beds, though the plan is for the annex to close again after expanding the main detention facility.
An expansion to the main county jail, the Wake County Detention Center, will add 600 beds. That is phase 3 of the detention center’s expansion.
An upper range of county projections could see the county’s expanded detention facilities run out of space around 2038 or 2039 with 2,100 beds.
A phase 4 expansion of the Wake County Detention Center will add 280 more beds.
What other solutions are there?
Expansion will take time, and county commissioners say the state can help address the causes of overcrowding in the interim.
The state should add staff to the Wake County District Attorney’s Office and the court system to move cases through the system more quickly, they say. Adding detention officers to the state prison system will also enable more inmates to be housed in state prisons.
“If the state does not take action in these areas, we’ll have to account for these costs in our FY 2027 budget,” wrote Wake County Commissioners Chair Don Mial in a statement.
Property tax revenue is already down due to tax exemptions, like one for affordable housing projects, that have reduced revenue, Mial said.
The Sheriff’s Office said it’s collaborating to address the backlog of criminal cases with the District Attorney’s Office, the court system and Wake County government.
However, the effects of Iryna’s law can’t be fully measured yet.
“We are reviewing potential unaddressed challenges directly related to the law that may arise,” the Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.
“Detention Centers may become crowded due to individuals committing offenses that warrant arrest and incarceration, not solely as a result of any particular law,” it added.
What’s in the expansion plan?
- Three levels, two primarily for housing inmates.
- More wet cells. Wet cells have running water and are the only cells that all inmates, including maximum-security inmates, can stay in.
- Multi-purpose rooms, which can be used for things like programs helping people transition back into society.
- A ground-level academic space for inmates
- Inventory and storage space
- Potential solar panels on the roof
- A 350-space parking deck for employees
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.