Lee County officials look to reduce jail population

LEESBURG — Almost a dime out of everydollar spent by the Lee County government goes to finance the operation of the county’s jail.

The jail budget is $2,139,209, or 9 percent of Lee County’s total budget of $23,456,773.

Because it is such a major portion of the county’s budget and because the facility occasionally is filled past capacity, more than a dozen court officers, county officials and representatives of the Lee County Sheriff’s Department gathered Wednesday to seek ways to limit the time offenders spend behind bars in the Lee County Jail.

“We’ve got a capacity of 76 inmates, but we can put 90 heads in beds,” said Sheriff Reggie Rachels. “But there has been times we’ve had as many as 130.”

For Billy Mathis, a Lee County commissioner and an attorney, the issue is not as much about jail population as it is efficiency and being proactive to stretch the time before taxpayers will be asked to add more jail space.

“The expense is one thing,” Mathis said. “We don’t want to have to build more jail space. No. 2, it’s the right thing to do. All over America, we’ve incarcerated too many folks. Politicians all over the country are waking up to that fact.

“Jail should be reserved for very bad people, people who hurt people. But, there should be alternatives for many people. Jail makes some people worse. If we can keep a young person from spending time in jail, we’ve saved money and done a good deed.”

The consensus at Wednesday’s discussion session is that the court and jail officials already do a good job at moving people through the facility quickly. However, there were areas discussed that could improve an already efficient system, Mathis said.

First, the county plans to add jury capability to a second courtroom. In addition to the courtroom in the Lee County Courthouse, Lee will then be able to accommodate jury trials in the court facility used by Lee Magistrate Court Judge Jim Thurman.

“We only have trial term twice a year in Lee County, every six months,” said Mathis. “Instead of going to the Legislature and trying to add a trial term, we can use this second courtroom. … This will double the amount of jury time in Lee County.”

Lee is in the Southwestern Judicial Circuit, a six-county district served by three superior court judges. Judge Rucker Smith said the district could send a second judge to Lee County during those periods when two courtrooms could be utilized.

Mathis said the superior court judges also agreed to confer with officers in the District Attorney’s office and Indigent Defense Office to see if there were additional ways to streamline some of the processes in pre-trial matters.

Lee court officials will look to make its community service program more robust, especially after Mathis and Commission Chairman Rick Muggridge pledged to consider adding part-time personnel to supervise offenders in order to save money and reduce the jail population.

“This could be an option for first-time, non-violent young folks,” Mathis said. “Plus, the Sheriff’s Office will continue to communicate with judges and the D.A.’s office in regard to people who cannot make bond … who might be good candidates for lower bonds.”