County Jail What It Is and What It Isnt

By Sheriff Frank Reynolds

One of the duties and responsibilities of the sheriff is to be the keeper of the county jail. So, what is a jail, and why is it important to our community?

The Georgia Constitution requires the sheriff to perform certain duties including civil process, issuing warrants, providing security at the county courthouse, maintaining and operating a jail, and providing general law enforcement services throughout the county. Although there are many other duties, this article will focus on jail operations.

First, jail is not a prison. A prison is used to house state-sentenced inmates who have been charged with felony offenses that require incarceration greater than twelve months. However, a jail does house individuals who have been arrested and are awaiting trial, inmates who are serving a sentence of less than twelve months for misdemeanor offenses, inmates who have had their probation revoked, or inmates who are waiting to be transferred to a state or federal facility.

When a person is arrested, if they are seventeen years of age or older, they are brought to the county jail for processing. Once the person is brought into the facility, they are booked in and processed. Depending on the nature of the crime, the person may be given a bond amount, or they may be required to appear before a magistrate judge for a bond hearing.

If a bond amount is given, the person may provide a surety in the form of cash, property, bonding company, or they may be released on their own recognizance. If the person cannot post a bond, or is denied a bond, then the person will be held by the sheriff throughout the criminal proceeding. The sheriff is responsible for ensuring each inmate appears at each court proceeding until the case is settled.

By law, the sheriff is also responsible for feeding, clothing, providing health care, shelter, and security for each inmate as well as the facility.

The current Cherokee County Adult Detention Center (ADC) was built in 2003 for 512 inmate beds and facilities. The older jail, which was built in the late 1980s, is still unitized to house approximately 100 additional inmates.

The Cherokee County ADC inmate population has been growing steadily at 8% over the last several years. The daily population trends have ranged from 650 inmates to 750 during the summer months. Despite proactive attempts to lower the population growth through the use of judicial accountability courts, releasing offenders on citations, and working with probation management the population continues to grow.

Last November, Cherokee County citizens approved a continuation of a special-purpose local sales tax (SPLOST), which will partly be used to build an expansion of the existing jail. This was vitally important because the United States Supreme Courts case, Brown Vs. Plata, sets standards of inmate health care and population capacity.

The architectural and construction plans are underway, with an anticipated project completion in the next thirty-six months. As your sheriff, Im very grateful for your support in helping the Cherokee Sheriffs Office provide a service to you while making our community safe. Our team of professional men and women are committed to serving you with the finest law enforcement services you deserve.