County jails across North Carolina are facing growing challenges — from overcrowding and staffing shortages to rising mental health and substance abuse concerns.
For this week's More to the Story, WNCW's Dylan Henson takes a closer look at the pressures facing local detention centers and what some officials say needs to change.
RUTHERFORD COUNTY, N.C. (WNCW) — County jails across North Carolina are facing growing pressure as inmate populations increase, facilities age and detention officers take on responsibilities that extend far beyond traditional incarceration.
According to the Prison Policy Initiative, approximately 54,000 people are incarcerated in North Carolina. That includes roughly 31,000 people in state prisons and about 15,000 in local jails. Nearly 8,000 more are housed in the federal prison system's four facilities across the state.
While state and federal agencies face their own challenges, many local sheriffs say county detention centers are increasingly struggling to keep pace with changing demands.
In Rutherford County, Sheriff Aaron Ellenburg said overcrowding, staffing demands, mental health concerns and aging infrastructure have combined to create significant operational challenges inside the county detention center.
"Our facility has not grown with our county," Ellenburg said during a recent interview with WNCW. "We've got to have an updated facility to be able to handle what is brought into our jails now."
The Rutherford County Detention Center is designed to house 208 inmates. However, sheriff's office officials say the facility routinely operates near or above capacity.
Because of limited space, Rutherford County contracts with neighboring counties to house some inmates. Ellenburg said those arrangements come at a substantial cost to taxpayers.
The sheriff's office reported spending more than $500,000 on out-of-county housing during the current fiscal year. Inmates are regularly transported to detention facilities in neighboring counties, including Polk, McDowell, Mitchell, and Burke counties.
Each transfer creates additional transportation responsibilities for detention officers.
According to data provided by the Rutherford County Sheriff's Office, detention staff logged more than 40,000 miles transporting inmates during the past fiscal year. Those transports included transfers to neighboring counties, hospital and medical appointments, court appearances, and involuntary commitment transports.
Officials say those transportation demands can place additional strain on staffing levels inside the detention center.
During a recent tour of the Rutherford County Detention Center, Ellenburg and detention staff highlighted several challenges facing the facility, including crowded housing units, limited medical space and intake areas where officers frequently encounter inmates experiencing mental health crises or substance abuse issues.
Ellenburg said the challenges facing county jails today extend beyond a lack of space.
"Mental health is real," he said. "Our facilities are not equipped to house all these individuals."
Those concerns are echoed by law enforcement leaders across North Carolina.
Eddie Caldwell Jr., executive vice president and general counsel for the North Carolina Sheriffs' Association, said county detention centers increasingly serve as holding facilities for individuals with serious mental health and substance abuse issues.
"For somebody that needs mental health treatment, to put them in a jail makes no sense whatsoever," Caldwell said.
Caldwell said many sheriffs believe county jails have gradually become substitutes for services that are no longer readily available elsewhere.
At the same time, local detention centers are also experiencing delays in transferring sentenced inmates to state prisons because of staffing shortages within the prison system.
"The prison system is woefully understaffed, and inmates are backing up in county jails," Caldwell said.
James Markham, a professor with the UNC School of Government who studies criminal justice issues, said county jails today are being asked to perform duties that extend well beyond detention.
Markham said detention officers must balance public safety responsibilities while also responding to mental health concerns, medical needs and substance abuse issues among inmates.
"There is a growing expectation that county jails provide services beyond simple detention," Markham said.
To address some of its immediate needs, Rutherford County recently approved a $10 million renovation project at the detention center. Planned improvements include expanded female housing areas, redesigned intake space and new medical monitoring cells.
Ellenburg described the project as a necessary step but not a long-term solution.
"We're putting a Band-Aid on a problem," he said. "But this Band-Aid is going to be beneficial to us."
Sheriffs and detention officials across North Carolina continue to face difficult questions about whether older facilities can meet modern demands.
Population growth, mental health concerns, substance abuse, staffing shortages and aging infrastructure are creating challenges for detention centers in communities large and small.
And for many counties, the debate is no longer whether changes are needed, but how those changes will be funded.
Editor's Note: This is the first installment of WNCW's two-part series, Inside North Carolina's Jail Crisis. In Part Two, we'll examine what happens when counties invest in newer detention facilities and how modern jail designs are changing operations, safety, and inmate services in communities across Western North Carolina.