Visit to the Beaufort County Jail | Eastern North Carolina Now

    It has taken some 2 months to get there, but I finally got a first-hand look at our basement jail which has been the source of much discussion in recent months. It was not as bad as I had anticipated with the smell of a basement. It is as described ---an endangerment to prisoners and Deputies/Jailers.

    Chief Deputy Charlie Rose was kind enough to take about an hour to go with me into the jail and see for myself what is being talked about. It was a snow day for the Court so the usual clutter of prisoners being made ready to go to court was avoided. It was a little before the rush of lunch so I was able to look the entire facility over and have my questions answered.

    Here are the concerns to me as a tax-paying citizen who knows we have a problem which must be addressed:

    Is there any danger to prisoners or jailers with the current facility?

    •  What did the section where a prisoner recently killed himself look like?

    •  Being a basement, was there a dank smell of such?

    •  What kind of treatment do our detainees receive?

    •  What would happen if there were a fire in the Courthouse?

    •  How has this situation been over the years since construction in 1984?

    There are obvious short-comings in the present facility. Deputy Rose told me the current state is the result of a court-ordered improvement in 1984. That was 30 years ago! It was before Rose's employment. He lived in Pitt County before coming here. I have known Beaufort County since marrying into a family with Bayview property in 1968. Prior to coming here in simi-retirement, I had no real vested interest in Beaufort County. Now, as a citizen, I am trying to help in any way I can to keep this the good place I see it to be.

    In my view, we have one of the best places in NC to live. Our crime rate is low. I feel safe. Any dealings with Beaufort County Law Enforcement Officers have been more than positive. We had 2 break-ins at our Bayview Cottage. They responded immediately and did a thorough investigation. Our stolen goods were not recovered, but they did a solid job in my view.

    Towing heavy equipment always gets you checked if a light is out. I pull an extra heavy gooseneck trailer with my Bobcat chained down to it. Now the DMV officers have an automatic stop for such to make sure brakes and chains are right. Every time the officers of the Sheriff's Department and Highway Patrol have been doing their job and helping me not be a safety problem. They have been most professional and personable to me. Even the Ferry crews are great in my view as I transport heavy stuff along with other motorists. It is all about safety.

    We checked into the Jail through a locked door on the outside and another before entering the facility. Deputy Rose reminded me not to have any knife or other things on me that could cause safety issues. The first area of concern was the visiting area which is inside the jail. Already, outside windows have been secured because they are at ground level. In the distant past people could talk through them to prisoners. There was danger of contraband being passed. Now they are sealed tight for safety, but also it makes a fire and smoke even more a concern, should there be such. There is no outside ventilation if smoke filled the Jail.

    To bring visitors to a small area inside is a major concern. If an emergency arose, a large group of visitors could be in the way of quick response. The jail Staff is the major reason we have a facility as good as it is despite the physical shortcomings. They fight a constant battle with smells in an enclosed basement, but I smelled no foul odors or stale air. This was winter and not the humid summer when most of us with basements have odor issues and mold.

    The current setup is doing the best you can with an old facility. It has a women's block and another for men. There is a 2-cell area for extra dangerous prisoners. That is minimal. The man who managed to kill himself was in a long cell area where no one can see at all times into each cell. You just cannot put in cameras to solve such a problem. It is inherent in the old system. I worked in Wake County being Chaplain to the Juvenile Court and trying to help with the adult court as well to provide some spiritual counsel. Their old facility in 1969 had the same issues we have. I have not seen the new one, but trust security is improved there. Few facilities of any kind fare well if they are 30 years old.

    Our Jail is freshly painted and clean as I could wish. It is just old and far from adequate in my observations. The food is provided by contract with our Hospital kitchen. It arrives in insulated containers and is served in the cells. There is no dining area available. I am sure our jail staff is pressed at each meal to get it out before it cools. I think we could do far better with a more modern facility. Nothing is plush in our Jail. We all need to be reminded that; in our Justice System, you are presumed innocent until proven guilty so we should provide adequate housing for those we have arrested. Some are awaiting trial. Others are serving some time. I saw absolutely nothing inhumane in the treatment of our detainees.

    I asked Deputy Rose what would happen if a fire broke out. He told me there are smoke detectors associated with the newer elevator system. Otherwise there is no fire suppression nor detection equipment installed. With all the papers in any courthouse, there is plenty of combustible material. The best news is that it is not completely constructed of heart pine which was my greatest fear. Once that gets enflamed, no amount of water can put it out.

    As we stood outside Mr. Rose discussed with me the approach that would be taken in the event of a fire. Most likely such would be reported by a passer-by seeing smoke. Immediately the Fire Department would be notified and Deputies would rush to the scene. Their only solution would be evacuating prisoners to the parking area and transport somewhere else which was secure. In such an event there would be confusion and great opportunity to escape and endanger citizens. We do have a bus which could transport some 30 prisoners, but others would be in cars. I would hate to be a Deputy under such a circumstance. It boggles the mind if the worst happened.

    I would sum my visit up as:

    •  Unplanned by the Staff

    •  Cordial

    •  Honest

    •  Not as bad as I imagined it could be

    •  Not nearly as good as it should be

    •  A situation which has been put off far too long

    The ball is in the hands of the County Commissioners and us taxpayers. There are serious advocates on all sides. It has been discussed and planned to death with much money spent and no sign of an immediate solution. The financing of another County in the East with a new facility became a major problem with budget and taxes. The cost usually exceeds anything projected when the actual project gets underway.

    I have been at a Commissioner's Meeting when the Industrial Park Plan at Chocowinity was discussed. Commissioner Richardson cited several major concerns for money and the type of construction materials. It is not that good heads do not surround this situation. It is that too much political wrangling is going on and the situation languishes for a solution anytime in the near future.

    The other concern for us all should be the "What If" of a fire / prisoners dying or maimed / lawsuits out the wazoo over safety issues we knew and failed to address. It would not take many lawyers and that much damage to see way more money spent on lawsuits than on any jail solution.

    If we want a safe and secure system for citizens, it is up to us to bring pressure to "Do the Right Thing" before the cost escalates further and gets ordered by a Judge to be resolved. That is closer than many realize. Our Deputies and Jailers deal with enough danger than for one of them to get hurt one day soon in our neglected Jail.
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( March 5th, 2015 @ 8:27 am )
 
I am not amazed with the conclusions of the investigation of the Beaufort County Jail suicide just released on our local news stations this morning. They seem to focus on neglect by guards in that immediate case.

I think the issue is much broader and needs a solution to the facility over firing any guards and acting as if "it's all their fault."

Can we have a serious discussion of this? It has dropped off the articles and now needs a re-post, I believe.



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