Date Published: January 12, 2007   

Officials oppose prison quotas

Land: Legislators should consider outlawing DOC system

By LESLIE CANTU
Item Senior Staff Writer
lesliec@theitem.com

State officials agreed Thursday that new legislation might be needed to deal with the S.C. Department of Corrections' updated quota system for accepting new prisoners but had contrary ideas about what the legislation would do.

On the one hand, the governor's office suggested the department be relieved of responsibility for certain prisoners. On the other hand, local elected officials and the S.C. Jail Administrators Association would like the state to reimburse counties for housing state inmates.

Kathy Williams, assistant director of the S.C. Association of Counties, said county officials are in an uproar over a series of memos they received from Corrections Director Jon Ozmint outlining a new quota system.

Ozmint's memo states the new system is a "more rational and equitable approach" than the older, "illogical" system of quotas that built up over time. The new quotas allow Clarendon County to send two inmates per week and Sumter and Lee counties combined to send eight inmates per week to the state system.

State Sen. John Land, D-Manning, said legislators should consider a law prohibiting the department from establishing quotas.

"I understand where the Department of Corrections is coming from. They want an orderly number of people coming throughout the year where they can manage it," he said.

But, Land said, "I don't want to put any more expense on the counties."

County officials complain that counties are bearing the cost of state prisoners that the state isn't accepting in a timely manner.

"It's a problem throughout the state, unfortunately," said Deloris Charlton, president of the S.C. Jail Administrators Association and director of the Barnwell County Detention Center.

"They'll let you know how many you can bring and when you can bring them," she said.

Until the department gives the OK, she said, the county has to hold on to the additional inmates who should be the state's responsibility.

Joel Sawyer, spokesman for Gov. Mark Sanford, said the governor's office has been briefed on the situation and their understanding is that the quota system is meant to bring standardization to the process.

"The situation exists because of an arcane state law that was written when there was only one state prison," Sawyer said. "... The solution ultimately should probably be to repeal the statute that was written decades ago."

The statute requires the department to send guards as soon as it hears from the county clerk of court to pick up new convicts and bring them to the penitentiary.

The governor's office will defer to Ozmint on the issue for now, Sawyer said. Ozmint's executive assistant did not respond to an e-mail request for an interview with Ozmint.

Williams, with the association of counties, said the corrections department wants to increase counties' responsibilities by having county detention centers house all people sentenced to less than a year. Right now, detention centers house people sentenced to less than 90 days.

The association of counties opposes such a change, she said. The association, along with the jail administrators association and other concerned groups, is seeking a sit-down meeting with Ozmint to discuss the problems.

State Rep. Cathy Harvin, D-Summerton, called the quota system "absurd."

It's simply one issue among several that makes her believe an audit of the department is necessary.

"Jon Ozmint, I realize, has been tasked with substantially reducing the costs at the Department of Corrections," she said.

However, the quota system doesn't fix the situation and keeps the department from fulfilling its responsibilities, she said. In essence, she said, the department is saying to local law enforcement, "Be careful how many people you arrest because we might not be able to accommodate them."State Sen. Phil Leventis, D-Sumter, said he was troubled to learn of the problem.

"The state shouldn't be shifting its responsibility to the counties," he said.

If Ozmint needs more money to run the department, then the General Assembly should appropriate additional funds, he said. Or, he said, the state could reimburse counties for housing the state inmates.

He said he doesn't sense any malice behind the quota system, but there needs to be equity in bearing the costs.

Charlton agreed.

"We don't have a vendetta with the Department of Corrections," she said. "... We want to be treated fairly."



Contact Senior Staff Writer Leslie Cantu at lesliec@theitem.com or (803) 774-1250.