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Fifth Circuit Solicitor tells Richland County committee bond reform, staffing and warrants drive jail population rise
Summary
Fifth Circuit Solicitor Byron Gibson told the Richland County Detention Center ad hoc committee that pandemic-era releases, a bond-reform statute and heavy caseloads have contributed to increased jail populations. He urged more prosecutors and support staff; county administrators also described infrastructure and staffing-standard concerns.
Byron Gibson, the Fifth Circuit solicitor, told the Richland County Detention Center ad hoc committee that a mix of pandemic-era case handling, recent bond reforms and staffing shortages have contributed to rising detainee numbers at the county jail.
"When I took office in 2019, the jail numbers were about 900 or so," Gibson said, describing a pandemic-related decline and a subsequent rise tied in part to a bond-reform statute he referenced as 17-15-55. He said the statute revokes bond if a defendant previously released on bond is rearrested on certain violent- or firearm-related felonies, which has led to more people being held in custody while their cases proceed.
Gibson presented comparative numbers for nearby jurisdictions and for the fifth circuit: "Richland County ... 18,138 pending cases with 36 assistant solicitors, and that means an average of about 504 per assistant solicitor," he said, adding that the National District Attorneys Association recommends roughly 300 cases per prosecutor as a guideline. He also told the committee the office receives "about 225 warrants per week in Richland County," roughly 9,800 a year, and that frequent defense-counsel changes and scheduling constraints slow case resolution.
Committee members asked whether additional judges or other fixes would change throughput. Gibson said judges and available court time matter, but his office's capacity—investigators, victim advocates and assistant solicitors—is a limiting factor: "We need to have more boots on the ground. We need to have more assistant solicitors," he said.
Administrator Brown briefed the committee on infrastructure and standards updates for Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center, including phased housing-unit renovations, a facility-wide security-system upgrade, an 85% complete bar screen awaiting delivery, and an ongoing roofing assessment. Director Eric Williams said some roof sections were replaced about 15 years ago while other areas date to original construction phases (the original phase was built about 1994) and that some roof sections could be 20 years old or more.
Brown also summarized proposed revisions to South Carolina's minimum standards for local detention facilities, telling the committee the local detention committee discussed a staffing standard that would require the availability (not necessarily filled) of roughly 294 additional detention-officer positions; Brown said the requirement raised financial concerns and the item was sent back for further consideration. Brown later presented a population breakdown showing roughly 53% of current detainees booked on violent charges.
Members thanked the solicitor and administration for the data; the committee moved into an executive session later in the meeting to address personnel matters and legal advice related to the detention center and returned to open session without recorded decisions.
