Thursday is the deadline for Vance County to relocate most of the inmates in its jail, according to a state order.
The Department of Health and Human Services stepped in after multiple inspections found unsafe conditions and too few staff at the facility. There were just nine detention officers to supervise more than 140 inmates.
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DHHS sent a letter to the county, the first of its kind in at least a decade. The letter the deficiencies saying, “The current staff cannot adequately supervise the Facility’s current census. At times, including during the overnight shift, only two detention officers are on site to conduct required supervision rounds."
The letter, dated April 1, orders the county to reduce its jail capacity from 148 to 20 inmates. The facility will be allowed to house up to 12 additional inmates temporarily. Right now, DHHS said there are 90 inmates in the facility.
The letter reads: “Despite repeated requests from DHSR staff, Vance County has initiated minimal depopulation efforts and has not meaningfully reduced its census.”
WRAL asked DHHS for an interview regarding the audit findings and the relocation deadline. No one was available.
"This is not a normal occurrence, but one that is necessary to ensure the safety of people within the Vance County Jail," a spokesperson, Summer Tonizzo, wrote in an email.
WRAL learned at least some of the inmates are being relocated to other facilities across the state, including Granville County. However, over text message, Sheriff Curtis Brame said it has not been easy.
In January, state officials found multiple holes in walls and fencing and evidence of contraband at the Vance County jail, according to the letter.
By March, the state learned that four detention officers were fired after “allegations of delivering contraband to incarcerated individuals.” The State Bureau of Investigation was notified.
The letter also says another detention officer was assaulted by an inmate.
Later that month, state officials found cells that did not lock or work properly, fire alarm problems and multiple security cameras that did not work, according to the letter.
“To date, the Facility has not devised or documented attainable actions to ensure the immediate hiring and recruitment of staff to fill the vacant detention positions. The lack of adequate staffing has directly contributed to the Facility’s inability to properly supervise the incarcerated individuals, as required by statutes and rules.”
Brame said he had personally connected with other counties to ask for help, and that some inmates have been moved, but that similar problems with overcrowding and understaffing exist in other county jails.
"We have moved quite a few [inmates] but are limited in the ability to depopulate at the rate that the DHHS is requiring," he wrote. "I have personally emailed, texted, verbally communicated at meetings and conferences with my fellow sheriffs that are facing similar issues in housing and staffing at their facilities...A sheriff or the state can’t force a sheriff to house inmates from another sheriff or county."
Nash County sheriff Keith Stone said he was asked if to house some of the Vance County inmates. However, he said he is dealing with a nationwide problem: a full facility.
"As more violence is in the streets...it owes to the public to have these people off the streets, and you have to invest in secure settings," Stone said.
The state now requires Vance County to provide a weekly facility report that details the number of inmates each day, a daily roster and their admission and release or transfer dates.
WRAL asked district attorney Mike Waters whether the order means some inmates would be released while the await trial.
“We're not going to either except lower pleas or reduce bonds for dangerous individuals just because of this overcrowding issue,” he said.
Waters office will review the weekly jail rosters to determine if any lesser charges should be released.
“They are looking for anybody that was arrested recently, perhaps on a misdemeanor or other some lower-level charge that does not pose a danger to the community,” Waters said.
Prior to the audits and repeated visits, county commissioners knew of some issues within the facility. They weighed whether to renovate the current facility or build a new one, with cost being a big factor.