Madison Co. Jail overcrowding forces 'creative sentencing alternatives,' Sheriff says

ANDERSON, Ind. - By next fall, Madison County's new $110 million jail will have taken shape. But until then, according to the sheriff, they'll continue to face severe overcrowding in the old one and find ways to relieve some of the pressure.




Remedies include working with the courts to allow more home detention in cases that warrant it and revising bond structures.




"Every day, we're above capacity in the jail, so we have to find alternative means of what to do," said Madison County Sheriff John Beeman.




But, Beeman said, with over 200 people on house arrest in Madison County, some are bound to ignore court orders, like 40-year-old Tony Thompson, who previously pleaded guilty to criminal recklessness for shooting at a woman's car last year.




This week, Thompson caught another felony charge, for escape, after court documents say he left his home and traveled around Anderson for two hours unauthorized. During that time, community corrections managers reportedly alerted victims associated with his crimes and warned him to stop until he was re-arrested.




"We want the other offenders to know that there is someone watching. You may think you're going to be able to get away with what you're doing, but we are going to hold you accountable," Beeman said. "We will find a spot for you somewhere one way or another."




Beeman said the current decades-old jail normally surpasses its 207-bed capacity, housing between 214-280 inmates at any given time. The local Metropolitan Community Corrections Facility houses another 125 inmates. Plus, another 22 inmates cost the county an extra $42 each per day to temporarily stay in jails outside the county.




By the time the new, larger jail opens, Beeman estimates it'll already be close to full again. The plans call for roughly 440 beds, but Beeman's office hopes to build in another 124 beds.




"It's a tough balancing act when you have a high level of offenders in your community," Beeman said. "Madison County, fair or unfair, we tend to have a higher percentage of offenders."




The biggest change, though, Beeman said, will come with programming they'll finally have the space to offer. That includes mental health treatment and drug and alcohol classes, in hopes of freeing up beds in a more permanent way.




"We're really looking forward to what the new facility will allow us to do with these groups to try to stem the flow of repeat customers," Beeman added.





via: https://fox59.com/news/madison-co-jail-overcrowding-forces-creative-sentencing-alternatives-sheriff-says/