County detention center: ongoing repairs, plumbing and shower replacement; officials flag capacity and mental‑health needs

Assistant County Administrator John Robinson updated the committee April 7 on repairs and operational issues at the Beaufort County Detention Center and addressed recent media reporting about work at the facility.

Robinson said the detention center meets state minimum standards and that the facility’s maximum population is 255 inmates; when he prepared his remarks the average daily population was 203 and the facility typically sees about 22 inmates arrive or leave daily (roughly 70 per week). He said the center is 33 years old and that deferred maintenance over many years left a backlog of costly repairs.

Maintenance and repairs: Robinson described emergency plumbing work in the kitchen and plumbing corrosion requiring crews to cut concrete and tunnel to replace cast‑iron lines with schedule‑40 PVC. He said work uncovered multiple adjacent pipe failures and standing water that accelerated deterioration. Robinson also described removal of tiled shower pans that had rotted trap components, the use of protective gear for workers during tile removal and the installation of custom solid shower pans and stainless steel fixtures as replacements; he said six showers in a single housing unit were being replaced and that roughly 20 more showers across other housing units need the same work.

Operational security and staffing: Robinson said he would withhold certain dates and granular figures for “operational security.” He highlighted planned projects including interior renovations, stucco and roof repairs and sprinkler maintenance, and noted facility staff and facilities crew have managed much of the ongoing work. Committee members who toured the facility earlier that day thanked staff for the tour and the improvements.

Capacity and population details: Robinson said the facility previously experienced higher crowding (308 inmates in 2008) but that population pressures persist; he said in practice, having even a few cells out of service can bring the facility close to maximum. He described the center as primarily a pretrial detention facility and noted an observed cohort of inmates waiting for court, including some with multi‑year wait times. Colonel Grant and Robinson said an estimated 20% of the population are longer‑stay pretrial inmates.

Mental health and rehabilitation: Committee members and the colonel flagged mental‑health needs as a top issue; Robinson said the facility maintains a contract with Beaufort Memorial Hospital for an in‑house mental‑health counselor and that programming and training continue to be priorities.

Replacement planning: Robinson said county strategic planning has identified replacement needs because of aging infrastructure and capacity limits. He said a regional detention center was considered in past analyses but that, given travel distances and court logistics across counties, an independent county facility remains the preferred model for the county’s densely populated areas.

Ending: Robinson said the county will continue phased repairs and recommended longer‑term planning for replacement. Committee members asked staff to continue coordination and to return with further planning and budget details.