Tag Archive for: #vancecountyjail

TownTalk: Vance County Jail Could Find New Home On Brodie Road

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The Vance County Board of Commissioners is entertaining the idea of putting a new detention facility on a 10-acre tract of land at the corner of Brodie and Old County Home roads, right beside the county’s animal shelter.

During their Monday work session, commissioners discussed the idea and agreed by consensus to approve County Manager C. Renee Perry submitting a letter of support on the board’s behalf to endorse putting a new jail on the land, which is currently owned by the state of North Carolina.

Commissioner Tommy Hester has been in contact with state legislators to get things moving; Hester did not attend the work session but told WIZS News that he was eager to get the project underway before his current term on the board is up; his term expires in December 2026 and he said he does not intend to run again.

This particular tract of land, which already has water and sewer, was given to the county by Nannie Crowder, a familiar name to many in Vance County. Crowder owned parcels all around the county, and the former H. Leslie Perry librarian left this property to the county to build a school on.

Since that didn’t happen, the property reverted to the state. County leaders believe that if they can get the property at no or little cost from the state, it would be a terrific cost-saving move.

Hester has letters of endorsement from Chamber of Commerce President Sandra Wilkerson, Sheriff Curtis Brame and from Perry on behalf of commissioners to sweeten the pot for those in the legislature to act in the county’s favor.

The next regular commissioners’ meeting is scheduled for Monday, Nov. 3 at 6 p.m.

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TownTalk: Commissioners Approve Revised Emergency Pay Policy For Jail Staffing

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During a special called meeting Monday, the Vance County Commissioners approved a revised emergency pay policy that has been in effect since April to staff the county detention center.

Since the policy was put in place – which allows for employees of the Vance County Sheriff’s Office to fill in at the jail because of staffing shortages – the county has paid more than $483,000 to keep adequate staff at the jail. The funds have come from lapsed salaries.

County Manager C. Renee Perry recommended some changes to the policy to commissioners, which includes removing exempt staff from substituting at the jail, using individual employees’ overtime pay rate and allowing no more than 60 hours overtime per pay period.

The revised policy states that exempt employees and non-exempt staff at a pay grade of 72 or above be excluded from the emergency pay policy.

Sheriff Curtis Brame responded to commissioners’ concerns and said he opposed some of what the manager included in the revised policy. He requested that a cap not be placed on the number of hours an individual can work, and he balked at having on-duty patrol deputies be responsible for transporting detainees.

Brame said that he is down 12 staff at the sheriff’s office, and having patrol deputies transporting detainees would mean they’re not patrolling the county.

“We’re talking about safety, we’re definitely talking about safety,” Brame said. As of Monday, the county has 171 detainees, 63 of which are housed at the county jail. That means that the other 108 are in other detention facilities spread across the state of North Carolina from the coast to the Tennessee border.

In response to questions earlier Tuesday from WIZS, Perry said the sheriff “must reach out for approval in advance, just to ensure that the funds are available, not necessarily if the employees can work – just that funds are available,” she reiterated.

With regard to transport of detainees, Perry said that historically, deputies were able to transport. “My preference is to have his deputies do the actual transport without additional pay on their regular shift,” she said, but added that if that causes an undue hardship she would entertain conversations with the sheriff about that. “He just needs to let me know,” she said.

The policy that Perry proposes states that when the lapses salary well goes dry, the emergency pay policy will end.

Brame said county money needs to be made available to keep the staffing at the jail. He called the fund balance a rainy-day fund, used when emergencies arise. “It’s raining like hell in Vance County,” Brame said, “and I’m getting wet.”

After close to a half hour discussion, Commissioner Tommy Hester made a motion to approve the policy Perry recommended. The motion was seconded and was approved, with a lone “no “vote cast by Commissioner Valencia Perry.

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TownTalk: Sheriff Brame Requests Extension of Support from County Commissioners

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Vance County Sheriff Curtis Brame appeared before the board of commissioners on Tuesday to thank them for the financial support that allows sheriff’s office employees to give much-needed support at the detention center and to ask for an extension of that support through the end of the year.

In the past five months, County Manager C. Renee Perry said the county has paid more than $483,000. And that is an unsustainable amount, Perry told commissioners at their Tuesday meeting.

Brame contends that much of the money comes from lapsed salaries – money budgeted for positions that haven’t been filled.

“It’s still a lot of money,” Perry told commissioners. “Five hundred thousand is excessive in my opinion.”

Perry estimated that the county has paid for roughly 9,671 hours – at $50/hour to sheriff’s office employees to fill in at the jail. She suggested that the agreement be revised to exclude exempt staff. “We’ve got to get this cost down – we have to,” Perry stated.

Brame said he expects that six of the 12 new jail hires can be certified by Dec. 1.

He said it takes time for employees to be trained, much less certified, for the positions they’ve been hired for.

“Right now, we need it,” Brame told commissioners. The ongoing staffing shortage, coupled with corrective action plans in place by the state spell big challenges for the sheriff, who oversees the detention center.

The state mandated the jail be depopulated, dispersing detainees to other facilities from Cherokee County in the mountains to Brunswick County on the coast.

On any given day, up to four transport teams are traveling to fetch detainees from where they’re being housed to court here in Vance County or to medical appointments. All the while, these teams are on the clock, racking up hours in vehicles, as well as lodging and other associated costs.

The Vance County jail has between 45 and 50 detainees as of Wednesday, but that number can swell temporarily as individuals come in for court appearances and other matters related to due process. Brame said there are about 150 detainees housed in facilities across the state at this time.

Perry said there will come a time when she will have to come before the commissioners to ask them for more money for the jail situation.

“At some point, we won’t have enough money to do a jail,” she said.

Commissioner Dan Brummitt said he would like commissioners to take some time to review the current plan, “probably make some revisions to it to try to tighten the belt a little bit.”

A motion by Commissioner Tommy Hester, seconded by Brummitt, passed unanimously to table a decision until the commissioners’ work session in a couple of weeks.

 

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TownTalk: Update on the Vance County Jail

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The Vance County Board of Commissioners got updates Monday on several matters that involve the detention center, ranging from repairs to the existing facility, plans for a new facility and new hires to help close the gap in staffing.

Blair Bordeaux, president of Bordeaux Construction, and Todd Davis, vice president of Moseley Architecture, are heading up the design/build team and talked through with commissioners the process that will help achieve the ultimate goal of having a functioning jail while a new one is being built.

County Manager C. Renee Perry was scheduled to meet today (Wednesday) with the design/build team to get details on just how the process will unfold as sufficient renovations are made to the existing facility as plans for a new jail are made.

They did a walk-through of the current jail on July 1 and mentioned numerous areas that need attention, including the video security system.

“In looking at the cameras and security electronics system, the first thing we noticed, it’s not a digital system,” Davis said. There is one server, designed to accommodate maybe 55 or 60 cameras. The jail’s single server has closer to 90 cameras, but 22 weren’t working when they checked them out during the walk-through.

“That needs to be changed, right off the bat,” Davis said.

One problem creates additional problems, and when you combine a staff shortage with the age of the jail and its less-than-perfect design, the problems soon mount.

Brame told commissioners that he’s hired eight new officers and hopes to hire five more in the next few weeks. Six of the eight new hires still have to complete detention center training.

The sheriff reminded commissioners that detention center staff may not always on site at the jail – they often are transporting inmates to and from other detention centers or in court.

Over the past couple of months, Special Project Coordinator Frankie Nobles has been overseeing repairs to the jail.

During that time, county maintenance workers have checked off a number of repairs, from replacing dropped ceiling tiles and making sure that all doors can be secured to cleaning, sanitizing and repairing bathrooms and fixtures.

“Frankie Nobles and his team have done all that they can do,” said Sheriff Curtis Brame, adding that he’s ready to “let the professionals with the skill sets and tools come in” to complete more specialized repairs.

The trouble is, some detainees damage property almost as quickly as repairs can be made – a source of concern for commissioners. The staff shortage, coupled with an inadequate security system, means that supervision is less than ideal.

“You’ve got some very improper sight lines, Davis said. “If you can’t get those sight lines better and you can’t get control over when these inmates come out and who comes out,” it’s going to continue to be difficult to properly supervise the detainees.

“Staffing is going to continue to be a problem, it’s not just here, it’s everywhere,” Davis said.

“Your jail is too old to try to patch,” Davis said. “You’ve got to increase that supervision better – no way around it, but you can’t do that with one or two people.  In my opinion, you’re in a bad situation.”

 

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TownTalk: Progress Being Made In Repairs To Vance County Jail

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The Vance County Board of Commissioners offered thanks Monday – and a round of applause – to show their appreciation for the work that Special Projects Coordinator Frankie Nobles has done so far to tackle a long “to-do” list at the county detention center.

In providing an update on the progress made since he was given the lengthy list of repairs and maintenance projects, Nobles told commissioners he reckons about half of the items have been addressed so far.

“We’re going to work until we can get them (done),” he told commissioners during the regular monthly meeting.

Commissioner Tommy Hester said, “I want to say thank you, because this guy is doing a great job.” With that comment, the board offered a round of applause.

The state of the jail has been an ongoing topic of discussion for commissioners, and it’s just one of the five corrective action items that were included in a letter from the state dated April 1. In the letter, the state outlined required steps county leaders must take to get the facility back in compliance.

Commissioners took steps to put the repairs and maintenance under the supervision of the county rather than the sheriff’s office, and that’s when Nobles took over.

County Manager C. Renee Perry said, “We’ve been getting things done under Frankie’s leadership.”

Nobles added that the state is “very happy” with the progress that’s been made thus far.

In response to a question from Commissioner Tommy Hester about whether he’s had difficulty getting the work done, Nobles said, “Everybody that I’ve talked to has been caught up and paid except one,” who still has four invoices that haven’t been paid for. Commissioners had received reports that work wasn’t being completed either because workers weren’t being paid or because of safety concerns. For now, that challenge seems to be less of a problem than before.

The list of completed tasks is impressive, from power washing interior walls, ceilings and floors to replacing expired fire extinguishers and generator batteries. Broken glass has been removed and replaced, as well as air filters on the two-year-old units that apparently hadn’t been replaced since October 2023.

“Those units were completely stopped up,” Nobles said, adding that he didn’t know how they were still operational.

So after the paint, toilet and shower repairs and replacements, holes in walls patched and bunks bolted anew to walls…what’s left?

“The big stuff,” Nobles said. Things like locks on doors, the camera system, among others.

But for now, the county is happy – happier – because the state is happy as Nobles leads the effort to put more repairs in the “completed” column on his “to-do” list.

Assistant County Manager Jeremy Jones told commissioners on Monday that the RFQ – request for qualifications – process closed just a couple of hours before the meeting began. There was one reply to the RFQ, which sets in motion the design/build process county leaders are considering for a new facility. The RFQ is scheduled to come before the commissioners on July 7 for possible approval. Commissioners will receive for review a copy of the RFQ before the July meeting, she said.

 

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The Local Skinny! County Attorney Explains ‘Design/Build’ Concept For Jail Repairs

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The Vance County Board of Commissioners have approved a pathway for county staff to proceed with a “design/build” process to make necessary repairs to the jail as it weighs further options for construction of a new detention center.

County Attorney Jonathan Care explained to commissioners at their Monday meeting why he recommends this “new” approach be used for the repairs and expressed the need to move quickly, based on a letter from the state citing, among other things, the poor physical condition of the jail.

Care spelled out options for the short-term repairs needed at the existing jail while pursuing design and construction options for a brand-new jail; the consensus at Monday’s meeting was to use the design/build process for the repairs. Care told commissioners staff could have everything in place by the next meeting, if not sooner, to put that plan in motion.

One of the main components of the design/build approach, he explained, has both the construction side and the design side collaborating on the project instead of hiring an architect to design and then a construction team to build.

“I think that is the absolute best way to move forward,” Care said, “and that is my recommendation to move forward with repairs to our current facility.”

The design/build approach begins with a request for qualification – an RFQ – instead of a request for proposals – an RFP, which often results in awarding projects to the company who submits the lowest bid.

He said the design/build process won’t be the cheapest way, but it should result in fewer change orders during construction and fewer issues that inevitably pop up.

With the repairs, however, “time is as much of a factor as cost is.”

A jail is not something that should be pieced out and parceled, Care said.

“We need to know, down the road, that we’re going to have a facility that isn’t such a unicorn that we’re reliant on one person” to come in and make needed repairs, he said, referencing the problem with broken doors at the jail.

“I can tell you, unfortunately, we’ve experienced some of that in our current facility with updating, remodeling and building…that isn’t working for us, and it’s costing us dearly now.”

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Commissioners Give Nod To “Design/Build” Process For Jail Repairs, Renovations

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The Vance County Board of Commissioners have approved a pathway for county staff to proceed with a “design/build” process to make necessary repairs to the jail as it weighs further options for construction of a new detention center.

County Attorney Jonathan Care explained to commissioners at their Monday meeting why he recommends this “new” approach be used for the repairs and expressed the need to move quickly, based on a letter from the state citing, among other things, the poor physical condition of the jail.

Care spelled out options for the short-term repairs needed at the existing jail while pursuing design and construction options for a brand-new jail; the consensus at Monday’s meeting was to use the design/build process for the repairs. Care told commissioners staff could have everything in place by the next meeting, if not sooner, to put that plan in motion.

One of the main components of the design/build approach, he explained, has both the construction side and the design side collaborating on the project instead of hiring an architect to design and then a construction team to build.

“I think that is the absolute best way to move forward,” Care said, “and that is my recommendation to move forward with repairs to our current facility.”

The design/build approach begins with a request for qualification – an RFQ – instead of a request for proposals – an RFP, which often results in awarding projects to the company who submits the lowest bid.

He said the design/build process won’t be the cheapest way, but it should result in fewer change orders during construction and fewer issues that inevitably pop up.

With the repairs, however, “time is as much of a factor as cost is.”

A jail is not something that should be pieced out and parceled, Care said.

“We need to know, down the road, that we’re going to have a facility that isn’t such a unicorn that we’re reliant on one person” to come in and make needed repairs, he said, referencing the problem with broken doors at the jail.

“I can tell you, unfortunately, we’ve experienced some of that in our current facility with updating, remodeling and building…that isn’t working for us, and it’s costing us dearly now.”

State Gives Vance Jail April 10 Deadline To Reduce Population, Address Deficiencies

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Vance County has one more day to reduce its jail population from about 140 to 20, one of five corrective action measures issued by the N.C. Dept. of Health and Human Services.

In a 6-page letter addressed to County Commissioner Board Chair Carolyn Faines, County Manager C. Renee Perry, Sheriff Curtis Brame and acting jail administrator Maj. William Mitchell, DHHS Secretary Devdutta Sangvai wrote that conditions at the Vance County Detention Center “jeopardize the safe custody, safety, health, or welfare” following an inspection last month.

“I have concluded that the conditions at VCDC jeopardize the safe custody, safety, health, or welfare of the individuals incarcerated there. Based on the information set forth below and the Facility’s failure to act with a sense of urgency to implement corrective measures and substantially depopulate, I have determined that an Agreement of Correction is not appropriate, and that an Order of Corrective Action is necessary,” Sangvai wrote in the letter, dated April 1, 2025.

In addition to the jail’s depopulation, the other four corrective action measures address supervision rounds, contraband, staffing and the county’s comprehensive action plan to address deficiencies at the detention center. The county has until April 15 to submit a written plan that spells out how it will recruit additional staff as well as implementation dates for recruiting, hiring, training and retaining detention officers. April 15 also is the deadline to submit a comprehensive plan of correction for each deficiency cited in previous inspections, giving priority to repairing the video surveillance system and repair of all cell door locks.

The state of disrepair has been a topic of discussion at county commissioner meetings for quite a while, and commissioners have gone back and forth about whether to repair the existing jail or to build a new one. Recent discussions – and the dismal inspections reports – have resulted in the need to spend a significant amount of money on repairs while weighing the options about new construction – a multi-year project.

The county can appeal the decision, but County Attorney Jonathan Care said he has not yet been authorized to do so.

Although the physical condition of the jail is a major concern, the April 1 letter also cites staffing as a problem. “The Facility remains seriously understaffed,” the letter reads. “The current staff cannot adequately supervise the Facility’s current census.” Where once close to 30 officers were employed to supervise and staff the detention center, there are now only nine positions that routinely supervise the Pods, the letter stated.

Here’s a timeline of most recent inspections by the Division of Health Service Regulation:

  • July 2024 – 64 deficiencies noted, ranging from inadequate staffing and cracked security glass to damaged cell doors, pod doors and deficient supervision practices
  • December 2024 – 55 continuing deficiencies, as well as 33 new ones for a total of 88 deficiencies
  • January 23, 2025 – another inspection following report of a security breach on Jan. 1. Inspectors observed holes in cinder block walls, holes in perimeter security fencing and evidence of an undisclosed type of contraband that was brought into the jail. Numerous security cameras were out of service in three control rooms, cell and pod doors were still broken and supervision rounds weren’t being conducted.
  • February 3, 2025 – The state sent a letter to the county about “ongoing noncompliance and identified deficiencies” and informed the county of the potential safety risks to inmates and VCDC staff, ultimately requiring that the county provide “an immediate commitment to corrective action.” The letter further requested that the county send written confirmation to the state about prioritizing the issues and take the necessary action to correct them.
  • March 9, 2025 – the state received another report that detainees had used a water cooler to damage a security glass at the D Pod entrance.
  • March 12, 2025 – state conducted a follow-up inspection and learned of an assault on one staff member and dismissal of four others on allegations that they delivered contraband to detainees. The SBI had been notified of the possible criminal activity.
  • March 17, 2025 – the state sent a letter to the county requiring that the jail “take immediate action to depopulate the facility to a manageable number that staff could adequately supervise and gave the county two days – until Mar. 19 – to submit a comprehensive corrective action plan in response to the Dec. 18, 2024 inspection report.
  • March 18, 2025 – the county did submit an action plan, but the state said it failed to identify specific, actionable and achievable steps to correct all the noncompliance identified in the December 2024 report – only 4 of the 88 deficiencies were addressed.
  • March 21, 2025 – follow-up inspection showed continuing deficiencies. Only 26 of the facility’s 62 total cell doors could be securely locked and two of the Pods had no working doors. One Pod was missing a door entirely. “The lack of operable, locking cell doors seriously impacts the Facility’s function and the safety of incarcerated individuals and staff,” the April 1 letter stated.

Read the letter from the NC DHHS Secretary here: https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25879915-vance-county-letter-4125/

Short Term, Depopulate; Long Term, What Does Architect Firm Think

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At a Vance County Board of Commissioners special called meeting Monday afternoon at 4 o’clock, a motion was voted on and passed 4 to 2 in favor of moving forward with an existing request for quote (RFQ) between the county and Mosley Architects for work at the existing jail as well as building a new jail.

Commissioner Tommy Hester made the motion, and it was seconded by Commissioner Leo Kelly.

The main idea appears to be to get an updated quote and find out the architect’s recommendation.

Sheriff Curtis Brame and Major William Mitchell spoke to commissioners at the regular monthly meeting a week ago, February 3, and emphasized the need to reach some decision about addressing the needs of the jail and to develop a plan of action.

The vote now will show state officials some progress here in Vance County, and it does put a plan of action into motion.

Following its most recent inspection in December, inspectors extended until February 21 the deadline for Brame and staff to address 88 deficiencies outlined in the inspection report.  Mitchell indicated the commissioners’ decision would be helpful.

Commissioner Dan Brummitt said some officials in Granville County continue to be receptive to a regional facility and that it could be done, perhaps for less than $45 million. Brummitt spoke of a larger jail and voiced his opinion that a regional facility makes sense in the long run.

He and commissioner Valencia Perry voted against the motion.

Hester said he didn’t think four or five counties would work and said, “We’ve got to do what we have to do for the folks in Vance County and move forward. Hire the architect and move forward right now.”

Board chairperson Carolyn Faines indicated Vance County had been “back and forth with Granville County about the regional concept,” and she said she didn’t think it was going to work. She said she thought Granville would have given Vance a yes by now.

Major Mitchell voiced in the special meeting a scenario that would cut down or perhaps reduce or eliminate the need to spend money on the current facility.

Mitchell talked about keeping 20 detainees in house here at The Vance County jail and housing 80 at other facilities.

An open dorm and holding cell here would allow those arrested here locally to still be detained immediately before being moved to another holding location.

Mitchell said he had spoken with the chief jail inspector for the State of North Carolina, Chris Wood, and it is likely that the state would sign off on that scenario.

In an example, Mitchell used what he called a safe figure annually of $2.5 million to house detainees out of the county. He cited the 2024 jail budget of $4.9 million and said that the county could conceivably have a cost savings while doing a remodeling or rebuilding of the jail.

Through memorandums of understanding with the out-of-county facilities, the example figure of $70 per detainee would include meals, bedding and incidentals. If so, Vance County would be responsible for transportation and outside medical, specifically hospitalization, for example.

Additionally, there are so many unfilled positions right now within the jail that the lapsed salaries and the “money savings” from the lapsed salaries would help cover some of these expenses.

Hester said Vance County is in a position now that it has to move forward.  He spoke of planning and construction of a new jail taking three to four years to complete and $50 million. County Manager Renee Perry could be heard agreeing with Hester’s remarks.

Mitchell indicated actions were already underway to depopulate the jail.

Commissioner Perry cited concerns with this same group of detainees being taken elsewhere and possibly being brought back again for misconduct. It has happened before. She said these same detainees continue to be so disruptive and indicated that she could not see how this proposal would be different.

Using Mitchell’s estimate of $70 per day per detainee figure from last week’s regular meeting, he reminded the board at the special called meeting that $511,000 is saved annually for every 20 detainees removed who do not have to be held somewhere else.

Sheriff Brame said that he was planning to speak with 22 sheriffs Tuesday, February 11 about the continued need to depopulate the Vance County Jail.

Mitchell also disclosed in the special called meeting that the district attorney had arranged special sessions of court where attorneys could discuss a case with the detainee, then appear before a judge.

Apparently, the judges are on board, and the district attorney’s office and the sheriff’s office are working together with over 40-some cases already worked on towards either a bond for the detainee, time served or removal to the Department of Adult Corrections.

Part of the delay in moving detainees out, according to what Mitchell said, is attorneys have not wanted to go to the jail to see clients and the space for attorney/client meetings at the jail is inhospitable, lacking even an electrical outlet to power a laptop computer that may develop a dead battery after an hour or so.

To combat that impediment, Brame and staff have, in the last 30 days, been bringing detainees to the sheriff’s office so they can meet with their attorneys.

TownTalk: Commissioners Will Continue Jail Discussion At Special Called Meeting Feb. 10 At 4 P.M.

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The Vance County Board of Commissioners will hold a special called meeting on Monday, Feb. 10 to focus on short-term and long-term steps concerning conditions at the county detention center.

Sheriff Curtis Brame and Maj. William Mitchell spoke to commissioners at their regular monthly meeting Monday night and emphasized the need to reach some decision about addressing the needs at the jail and to develop a plan of action.

After a lengthy discussion of needs – ranging from repairs to extra space to how and where to house current detainees while repairs are taking place, Board Chair Carolyn Faines said she’d like to schedule a special called meeting to focus on next steps for the jail. That special called meeting will begin at 4 p.m. in the commissioners’ meeting room, according to information received Tuesday morning from County Manager C. Renee Perry.

Following its most recent inspection in December, state inspectors have extended until Feb. 21 the deadline for Brame and staff to address 88 deficiencies outlined in the inspection report.

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“We have a serious problem at our detention center,” Brame told commissioners.

Mitchell said he’s been working on the jail situation for just the past two weeks, and implored commissioners to “pic a direction that we’re going to go in – sooner rather than later.”

Brame and Mitchell said they’ve been in contact with District Attorney Mike Waters, and are developing a plan that targets the “depopulation” of about 20 detainees over the next few weeks.

The idea is to identify low-level offenders currently in jail and either get their bonds reduced or get a plea entered and get them out of jail.

Monday’s census was 161 detainees – 20 or 22 over capacity.

Whether the county decides to make costly repairs to the 50+ year old jail or to build a new one, Mitchell said there’s no two ways about it: “We’re going to have to empty the facility.”

That will mean making arrangements with nearby jails who are willing to house the detainees – for a price. Mitchell said he believes it’ll cost roughly about $70 per detainee per day, but Vance County would still be responsible for all associated costs – from bed frames to canteen items.

“The more we can get out through adjudication,” he said, “it’ll be cheaper on the citizens of Vance County.”

With figures of $5 million for repairs to $40 million-plus for a new jail, commissioners have a lot to think about.

Repairs do not include any expansion of the current facility, and building a new jail could take several years, in County Manager C. Renee Perry’s estimation.

Commissioner Dan Brummitt said the county can’t afford to house inmates elsewhere for five years while a new jail is being built. “We’ve got to make repairs now,” he said.

Perry suggested that the county re-engage with Moseley Architects, a Raleigh firm that has worked with the county in 2022 to provide estimates.