Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, August 12, 1994 TAG: 9408120113
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: LAURENCE HAMMACK STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The jail, which has an operating capacity of 236, has been double-bunking cells and putting mattresses on floors for years to deal with a population that, at least until recently, had peaked at about 500.
This week's record count has more to do with administrative decisions made in Richmond than any increase in the local crime rate.
Ever since a new Parole Board appointed by Gov. George Allen took over this year, the percentage of state inmates granted parole has been steadily declining - from 40 percent of those eligible a year ago to just 6 percent last month.
As a result, there are 2,500 more inmates in prison now than a year ago, and more state inmates are backlogged in local jails.
Of the 551 inmates recently held in the Roanoke jail, about 150 were supposed to be serving their time in state prisons, according to Lt. Jim Brubaker of the Roanoke Sheriff's Office.
"Serious offenders are doing long sentences in areas with four times as many inmates as there should be," Brubaker said.
With as many as 200 inmates on a floor supervised by three sheriff's deputies, Brubaker said. "We feel very fortunate not to have had any more problems than we have had."
Although the problem is not as severe in Roanoke County, Sheriff Gerald Holt said his 104-bed jail has been holding an average of 175 inmates. Holt said he, too, has seen an increase in state inmates as a result of the lower parole rate.
"We cannot continue to back them up in the local jails," he said.
Holt and Brubaker made their comments Thursday night at a roundtable discussion of crime and public safety hosted by Lt. Gov. Don Beyer.
The discussion underscored the problems that already exist - and may become worse - in a criminal justice system that could be completely revamped next month when the General Assembly convenes in special session to consider Allen's proposal to abolish parole.
"Parole reform is an important step, but it's only one piece of a complex problem," Beyer said.
Some speakers at Thursday's session noted that by appointing a conservative Parole Board less inclined to return inmates to society, Allen has already in effect done away with parole.
The parole rate has dropped from 29 percent in April to 22 percent in May, 10 percent in June and then 6 percent last month. Officials say they expect the rate to level off at about 15 percent.
Earlier this year, legislators were warned that the drop in parole would require 7,100 more prison beds, at a cost of $600 million, by the end of the century - regardless of what happens with Allen's proposal.
In Roanoke, City Council has been under pressure for several years from Sheriff Alvin Hudson and Circuit Court judges to do something about overcrowding. Last year, the city began plans to convert an adjacent building on Campbell Avenue Southwest into jail space, creating an extra 160 cells at a cost of $7 million.
by CNB