Jail to receive increased revenues for prisoners

The original agreement between the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office and the United States Marshals Service calling for the housing of federal inmates in the Lincoln County Law Enforcement Center has been modified to generate increased revenues for the county.

The revised contract was approved on Thursday, August 17, during a meeting between Sheriff Gerald Lawson and representatives of the United States Marshals Service. The agreement is retroactive, taking effect on August 1.

According to the new contract, the marshals service will pay the sheriff's office $40 per day for housing federal inmates. The previous rate was $30 per day.

It was also agreed that 40 beds will be available for federal prisoners at all times. The jail has a total of 80 beds, 12 for females and 68 for males.

In addition, Lincoln County deputies will provide transportation services for federal prisoners at a rate of $20 an hour and 44 cents a mile.

"Since we started this program in March, we have been averaging about 34 federal inmates a day which has generated $99,150 in revenues for the county," stated Sheriff Lawson.

Based on calculations using the $40 rate, if the law enforcement center houses an average of 35 federal prisoners a day during August, it will receive $43,400 for the month.

The revenues will be placed in the county's General Fund.

In order to house federal inmates, the law enforcement center has undergone several inspections by the marshals service, with more to come.

According to a spokesman for the marshals service, "There are three main areas that we look at when inspecting a jail for federal use: safety and security, food services, and hygiene and medical services. As far as Lincoln County goes, our biggest concerns are with the jail's camera system and lack of manpower. A secondary concern deals with safety and how cleaning materials are stored at the jail."

The sheriff's budget for FY 2007 included a new $131,000 control panel/jail monitor which will hopefully be installed by the end of the month.

The old system, which has been in place since the jail was built, is broken and parts are not available for repairs. Currently, jail personnel have to use keys to open and close doors which threatens the security of the jailers who have to go inside cell blocks while the doors are closed and locked. Moreover, not having the capability to open doors from the control room could put the lives of inmates and staff at risk in the event of a fire.

The new control panel will involve upgrading the existing doors, intercom network, and camera control system to a fully-integrated touch screen system.

Concerning the lack of manpower, both the marshals service and the Georgia Sheriffs Association have recommended that the law enforcement center hire three additional employees to ensure that the facility meets minimum state and federal standards.

"We've already hired one new employee and plan to work closely with the board of commissioners to secure funding for two more," said Sheriff Lawson. "We need these additional staff members whether we house federal inmates or not."

In his comments, the spokesman for the marshals service indicated that adding more staff at the jail will help prevent lawsuits. "In the event of a lawsuit, there is no question that the issue of manpower will come up. Now that we've told Sheriff Lawson the jail is deficient in this area, potential litigants will want to know why he hasn't done something about it."

He went on to say, "We know this is a small community that doesn't have a lot of money sitting around, so as long as we see progress at the jail, we're comfortable housing our prisoners there. We're pleased with what has been done so far, and feel that the jail will eventually be brought up to standard."

In his closing remarks, Sheriff Lawson said, "If we are to continue to receive revenues for housing federal inmates as well as meet the minimum state and federal standards for jails, we're going to have to get our 'infrastructure' (additional employees, the jail monitoring system, etc.) in place. We must have the ability to provide the services necessary to meet the needs of our 'customers.'"

A copy of the revised contract with the marshals service has been forwarded to the county attorney and each member of the board of commissioners for review.