NWA EDITORIAL | Madison County law enforcement suffers from a failure to address jail needs - Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

What’s the point?

Madison County’s lack of a long-term jail facility has been managed so far, but that can’t last forever.

Arkansas is in the midst of discussions about whether it needs new prison space and across the state, there are several counties talking about how to handed crowded conditions within their local jails. It's exactly the kind of public policy discussion worth having, one that has opposing viewpoints and a wide range of perspectives within those viewpoints.

But trying to operate a local criminal justice system with no county jail at all?

That's what the folks in Madison County have, so far, elected to do, leaving Madison County Sheriff Rick Evans rather confined, too. As in, backed into a corner.

Ever heard of Lewisville, Arkansas? Don't feel bad if you haven't. It's waaaay down south, a bit to the east of Texarkana. No reason many Northwest Arkansas folks would have heard of it. But Evans knows it. And his deputies know it. That's where they haul some -- up to 15 -- of the county's jail inmates, to be housed in Lafayette County.

Madison County hasn't had a jail authorized to hold anyone more than 24 hours for about seven years. The small jail it had failed to meet state standards. For six years, Washington County held Madison County's prisoners under contract, but overcrowding there led to the end of that agreement.

So Sheriff Evans and his staff devote time to finding places for the county's inmates to stay, a few here, a few there. Evans had to go as far as Lewisville to find room for them all. It will cost county taxpayers about $190,000 a year to reserve 15 beds in Lafayette County. The whole mess only works because technology has advanced enough to enable inmates to appear before judges for hearings remotely, through Internet streaming.

Still, deputies are forced to spend hours on the road moving county prisoners to where they need to be. It sometimes leaves Madison County underprotected. And something else Madison County officials ought to worry about: How many deputies got involved in law enforcement to serve as chauffeurs for inmates? That can easily become a retention and hiring problem.

Madison County leaders and citizens going to have to deal with this issue and so far have failed, unless they're satisfied with an unsustainable system that drains law enforcement resources from the county.

As much as Madison County might want to ignore the situation, sooner or later, that piper is going to have to be paid.

source: https://www.nwaonline.com/news/2022/feb/21/nwa-editorial-madison-county-law-enforcement/?opinion

Your content is great. However, if any of the content contained herein violates any rights of yours, including those of copyright, please contact us immediately by e-mail at media[@]kissrpr.com.