YULEE, Fla. – There’s an overcrowding problem at the Nassau County Jail, Sheriff Bill Leeper said.
The sheriff told News4Jax on Monday that he's concerned because the number of inmates with mental health problems is a big issue for them because those people nned to be separated from the general jail population. But with overcrowding, Leeper said, they are running out of places to house those people.
"Our capacity at the jail is 315. Today we have 314 but there are some days it’s 340," he said. "The reason: our county is growing tremendously. Subdivisions are cropping up seems like every day. Along with that growth comes issues, more opportunities for crime, so we arrest more people."
The sheriff attributes the county’s growth to more arrests. Since Leeper became sheriff in 2013, there has been a population boom in Nassau County. Leeper said because of that, the jail is feeling some growing pains.
"You would think growth is good and it is good," he said. "But for jail purposes, it’s not so good."
Leeper said he never foresaw the jail, which was built in 2002, would be at capacity.
In May, Leeper wrote a letter to the Nassau County Board of Commissioners, alerting commissioners to this problem in hopes they can work together. The sheriff wants to add a new wing to the jail, which could house 150 to 200 inmates, because they have such a high number of inmates needing medical or mental health care. Those inmates are currently housed in the booking desk area.
Nassau County deputies are also arresting more women, who have to be in a separate area from men. That increase is an issue as well, Leeper said.
"(The) female population has gone up tremendously," he said. "When I became sheriff, it was about 20. Now it’s up to 85."
For now, the Nassau County Sheriff's Office's best solution is rollout beds, but the fear is those will max out.
"As we grow our maximum beds of 315, we have to utilize portable beds. Actually (we) call them boats. They’re on the floor. We put them in areas where people can spread out. (They) allow us to have more people in there," Leeper said. "And (if) we get over that population, we have to look at other jails in other counties to find space."
Leeper mentioned another solution that he plans to discuss with the incoming judge is setting an immediate bond for inmates, so that the time they spend sitting in jail while waiting for first appearance is reduced and that inmates with bond can get out quicker.