Bulging At The Bars

Crime may not pay, but it sure does cost

THOMAS E. McCARVER PHOTO

For inmates of the Spartanburg County Detention Facility, there is little else to do but stare through the bars as time moves on.

Fed up with rising crime rates, more and more people are demanding criminals pay for their deeds.

But using tax dollars to keep offenders behind bars down not always sit well with taxpayers. Many citizens believe they're victimized twice - once at the hands of the criminal, and again when their tax bill must be used to build and operate jails.

"People demand laws be enforced, but corrections has always been the stepchild of the criminal justice system," said Friedrich Wenz, associate professor of sociology and criminal justice at the University of South Carolina at Spartanburg. "It's the last place politicians and the public want to spend their tax dollars. So generally, they (jails) have to be run with whatever funds are left."

It's a cost Spartanburg County taxpayers are soon likely to bear, through, as local officials and expert agree replacing the aging and overcrowded Spartanburg County Jail with a new facility is inevitable.

Other than constructing a new jail or tripling the size of the existing one, the county's only alternative is reducing the jail population. County officials say just about everything that can be done has been done to keep the inmate headcount down, short of opening doors and letting people out.

"It's inescapable that the brunt of the (new jail) project will fall on the taxpayer," said former state Supreme Court Chief Justice Bruce Littlejohn, who head a special committee examining county jail needs.

With an preliminary estimated price tag of $13 million, a new jail could put a dent in the wallets of county taxpayers. Yet that cost could nearly double if counties are required to keep short-term convicts now being sent to state prisons.

Though payments for a new jail will likely be spread over 15 years, County Administrator Ken Westmoreland said the annual payments to retire a bond issue amount to about 10 percent of the total - or about $1.3 million on a $13 million project.

Under current assessment rates, property taxes would have to be increased about 3.7 mills, however county officials said the taxable assessment base changes from year to year, based on county figures.

The new jail's cost estimate, however, is extremely tentative - based on an average national jail construction cost of $55,000 per cell, he said, South Carolina construction costs are generally lower, Westmoreland added, pointing out Horry County recently constructed a jail similar to one being contemplated here for about $48,000 per cell.

Moreover,the county would not have to purchase land or fund extensive site preparation since the jail is leaning toward building over the existing County Courthouse Parking lot.

Several outside factors, though, could drive the cost of a new jail up.

Westmoreland said a proposal before the Legislature would require people sentenced to jail terms of two years or less be kept in county jails rather than being sent to state prisons. Preliminary studies indicate, if the law is passed, the county would need an additional 180 to 200 jail cells, nearly doubling the size and cost of a new jail.

And building a jail is just a small portion of a jail's costs to taxpayers.

Over the average jail's 30-year life, operating expenses account for 90 percent of jail expenditures. Spartanburg County's jail budget this year is more than $1.3 million, and those operating expenses are likely to increase in a new jail with at least three times the capacity of the existing facility.

Jail costs become even more critical in the wake of a $2 million loss in federal funding to Spartanburg County, which is expected to force cuts in public services or higher taxes.

Additional cuts and/or tax increases may be necessary to build and run a new jail, although the proposed lockup is not expected to be completed for three years.

Westmoreland estimated the $1.3 million jail bond retirement payment would be equal to the cost of resurfacing 55 to 60 miles of county roads.

But he and other county officials say, regardless of the costs, a new jail is inevitable, and the 23-member New Detention and County Facility Advisory Committee has been appointed to study the issue in-depth. The committee is made up of judicial, law enforcement, county administrative officials and citizens.

"I think the committee has come up with an obvious conclusion" in recommending the County Council give serious consideration to building a new jail, Westmoreland said.

County Detention Facility Director Larry Powers agrees.With chronic overcrowding, he said, "The County Council will have to consider some way of getting additional space."

The county has repeatedly been cited for failing to meet its minimum inmate living space standards. The jail should not house more 82 inmates, under state regulations. But each night, 100 to 150 men are housed in the facility, some sleeping on mattresses on cell floors.

And the situation could be worse. An average of 20 women and 25 men are housed at the city jail under a contract between the two governments that will cost the county about $170,000 this year.

Blake Taylor, head of inspections for the state Department of Corrections, said the state could close the jail for not meeting the minimum space requirements, but that would be the last resort.

THOMAS E. McCARVER PHOTO

Inmates aren't the only ones at the county jail who have to work in cramped quarters. Officers have to work from a makeshift control center set up in a second floor corridor.

So far, efforts by Powers and county officials and progress toward a new jail have convinced state officials that sanctions against the county are unnecessary, Taylor said, adding quickly, "we want to see continued progress."

". . . We realize that you can't always make the changes necessary overnight. If you're talking about building a new facility, that's a major investment of tax dollars. We understand it has to be well planned and carefully executed," he said.

USCS's Wenz concurs the need for a new Spartanburg County jail is an unavoidable reality.

"Its time has come. In fact, it may be overdue," he said. "The question is what kind of facility and who is going to pay the price."

"Crime is not going to go away," he added, "As the community grows, so will the crime rate."

A 1985 county study shows a jail with 225 to 250 cells will meet the county's needs through the year 2010, under existing laws, and the County Council has already invited architects specializing in jail design to submit proposals.

With federal courts increasingly active in setting minimum jail standards, Littlejohn said jail committee members would be remiss in recommending a facility failing to meet court requirements.

"It's essential the county plan for a facility that could be used for at least 30 years," Littlejohn said, explaining expansion and the trends of the courts must be considered in those plans.

Jail officials have worked closely with judges and attorneys to minimize the time suspects must remain in jail, speeding bond procedures and court hearings, Powers said. Magistrate hearings have been increased from twice to four or more times each day, including night sessions.

He explained about 70 percent of the people being held in the jail have not yet been tried and are technically innocent.

Powers said management of a jail amounts to a balancing act of protecting society from the dangerous criminals and protecting the inmates' rights.