Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, February 12, 1995 TAG: 9502130016
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: LAURENCE HAMMACK
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Roanoke Sheriff Alvin Hudson said lawsuits already filed in Virginia Beach and other localities have had an impact in this part of the state. "I've noticed a big change in the number of inmates moved out of here by the state since the lawsuit was filed," he said.
While he sometimes went a week or longer without a state inmate being transferred out of his facility, Hudson said he now is seeing at least four or five moved into state prisons each week by the Department of Corrections.
With an operating capacity of 238 inmates, the Roanoke City Jail was holding 524 on Jan. 24. Of that population, 121 were state-responsible inmates serving three years or more.
The problem of state inmates languishing in local jails is hardly a new phenomenon. Hudson said he and the Richmond sheriff joined in a lawsuit against the state Department of Corrections in the mid-1980s over the same issue. The situation improved for a while, he said, only to worsen in recent years.
This time around, Hudson said, "I'm going to sit and wait and see what happens."
The Roanoke County-Salem Jail is experiencing the same problems, but on a smaller scale, according to Sheriff Gerald Holt.
The 104-bed jail was holding 214 inmates on Jan. 24, with about 85 of those being state-responsible prisoners. "I am not in nearly as critical condition as some other localities are," Holt said.
Although neither Holt nor Hudson has immediate plans to file suit, both said they might consider such action if the problem persists.
Their comments, which were not part of the Norfolk newspapers' survey, were made last week.
by CNB