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Detention center director seeks $1.98 million budget, cites staffing, security and facility failures
Summary
Pamela Smith told the Hampton County Council the detention center needs an additional $254,755 for 2027 to cover insourced kitchen costs, new staff, medical expenses and urgent security and infrastructure repairs; she said the 1976 building has failed inspections and an inmate escape underscored the need for upgrades.
Pamela Smith, director of the Hampton County Detention Center, asked the county council on April 27 for a FY2027 budget of $1,976,064, an increase of $254,755 from the current year. Smith said the rise reflects insourcing the kitchen, added full-time positions to reduce overtime, and higher dietary and medical costs now that kitchen staff and food purchasing are county expenses.
Smith said she is requesting four full-time officers to reach a staffing floor of four officers per shift (she reported currently operating with three), which she said would reduce overtime and improve safety. She also asked for a caged transportation van to allow secure, separated transports and for replacement razor-wire fencing and roofing around the facility’s perimeter and roofline, calling those items “safety and security” priorities. Smith said the detention facility dates to 1976 and described recurring maintenance and infrastructure issues that have made it difficult to pass certain SCDC (South Carolina Department of Corrections-related) and fire marshal inspections.
The director said the county recently experienced an inmate escape, and she tied the incident to broader infrastructure and staffing challenges. Smith also described new revenue streams tied to facility operations: municipalities may be charged $25 per day when inmates are held for town charges or bench warrants, and inmate tablets/phones are projected to generate roughly $11,000–$11,200 annually once implemented.
Smith reported that insourcing the kitchen began in March, and she said the jail has ordered a replacement double-door freezer so the kitchen can buy in larger quantities and reduce weekly ordering costs. She cautioned it’s too early, however, to quantify savings and estimated six months of operations would be needed to judge cost efficiency.
Council members asked operational questions—about inmate billing to municipalities and the status of revenue collection—and county staff said invoices have been prepared and billed but that payments had not yet been received for recent invoices. Smith said finance generates the invoices after the detention center turns in reports of eligible inmates.
The council did not take a final vote on the detention center budget during the workshop; Smith concluded by urging support for the staffing and capital requests and by highlighting that failing to address the facility’s structural problems risks public safety and compliance with state inspection requirements.
