County jail in dire straits, says sheriff

Apr. 17—HENDERSON — "Our facility is in bad shape," Sheriff Curtis Brame began at the county commissioners' work session on Monday.

Built in the 1950s, age has taken its toll on the Vance County Jail. So much so that renovations would be a waste of county cash, said Brame.

"Everything we do down there, day by day, is a struggle," he said. "As soon as we fix the doors, the inmates tear them up."

Some cell blocks house four prisoners each — all of whom share one toilet and water source. Some inmates suffer from mental health issues, others have been there for six years or longer. There are 40 inmates in for murder, down from 52 the last time the sheriff pled his case to the commissioners. Six are out on bail.

The jail is currently in violation of state prisoner classification laws, he said. Prisoners in for misdemeanors are placed next to those who have been in the can for murder for years — and are thus at risk of physical and sexual assault — and sick inmates are placed next to healthy ones, said Brame.

The former comprise a minuscule minority of the inmate population — 95% are in for violent felonies.

There's no way to separate the two — and that's been the case since Peter White — who served as sheriff from 2006-18.

"Any lawyer, any attorney, could come and sue us any day about this," he said, adding that the current treatment of prisoners is "wrong."

"Those inmates can take over that jail anytime they want to," he said.

Three booth operators lack line of sight over the whole facility, meaning there are blind spots. In summary, it's unsafe for deputies and for inmates.

Over the past five years, there have been 636 emergency calls from the jail. From 2021-22, there were 26 emergencies that resulted in death and cases of sexual assault.

"I can't imagine you having your family member living in there," he said. "They're still somebody to someone."

That's all to say, the sheriff requested the commissioners build a new jail.

Chair Dan Brummitt wondered how the jail could maintain regular operations until either of those solutions came to fruition. He asked whether prisoners could tear up a hypothetical new jail.

A "state of the art" facility with more space would alleviate the problem, Brame explained. Fewer inmates in a cell block means less manpower pressing up against newer, stronger doors.

Vice Chair Leo Kelly asked what the sheriff's ideal solution would be. Long-term, a new jail — short-term, Brame didn't have any answers.

Commissioner Sean Alston asked why a million dollars in the jail's fund haven't yet been used. That's not for lack of trying. Workers fear working in the prison as there's little between them and the inmates.

The greatest repair needs in the facility are some of its doors, which were installed incorrectly by a Georgia-based contractor working under a half-million-dollar contract. The county mismeasured two doors in every dorm, and correctly measured the other eight.

The jail is a hair overcrowded — 155 inmates to a capacity of 150. Some sleep on the floor, on blankets stacked in such a way to emulate a mat. There are 23 prisoners housed in prisons as far away as Buncombe County.

Jails are considered full at 75% of their rated capacity — that's called operational capacity. VCJ's rated capacity is 150, so 124 or so is its operational capacity. From 2017-22, VCJ's yearly average prisoner population had exceeded the former three times. The latter, six.

According to a needs study performed by Moseley Architects, the average length of stay at VCJ for 2022 is 46 and a half days. From 2017-22, the average was 32.74. It has been steadily increasing save for small dips from 2027-18 and 2020-21.

A major contributing factor is the number of inmates charged with high-level felonies compared to other counties.

A comfortable number of additional beds would be 250. Moseley provided an estimate for a 250-bed facility — around $42 million. Renovations to the existing facility would run the county around $5 million.

They discussed some theoretical numbers — for a 300-bed facility costing $45 million, a 15-cent tax increase to pay the debt service, $3.5 million per year for 20 years. That won't go over well with county citizens, said Brummitt.

Moseley recommended a 300-500 bed facility to account for unexpected increases in inmate admissions.

There's no word yet on what path the commissioners will take. Brummitt said Alston and County Manager Renee Perry have been reaching out to Rep. Don Davis' office as well as those of other politicians.

The upcoming implementation of eCourts on April 29 is going to slow the courts, said Brame. "Nobody likes it," he said, sheriffs and attorneys alike.

The commissioners awarded the needs study contract to Moseley Architects, a company with an office in Raleigh, back in late 2022.