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Coffee County sheriff warns jail near capacity; committee presses review after magistrate bond errors
Summary
The Coffee County sheriff reported the jail is operating near capacity with rising female inmates, medical and maintenance costs and possible TCI scrutiny; the committee also discussed magistrates setting unusually low or no bonds, including a reported 50¢ bond for a domestic-violence arrest, and agreed to pursue a review.
Sheriff (name not specified) told the Coffee County Law Enforcement Committee on March 27 that the county jail was operating near capacity and that he expects the Tennessee Corrections Institute to inspect the facility later this summer, a review that could trigger a formal plan of action if overcrowding continues.
"We're currently as of right now at 392 inmates out of 400 beds," the sheriff said, and added the jail had been above 400 on "a time or 2." He warned the county has seen a sharp increase in the female population, reporting 80 women in custody on Monday and again the following day.
The sheriff said higher medical costs, aging equipment and wear-and-tear are straining the jail budget and operations. He told the committee portable heaters and failing air-conditioning units have been returned to use during cold weather and that planned replacement HVAC units could carry long delivery waits: "even if…
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