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Durham DA: jail population up; homicide cases and digital evidence slow trials
Summary
District Attorney Deberry told the board the county detention center held about 440 people that morning and outlined factors slowing major criminal cases — limited local lab capacity, increased digital discovery and fewer prosecutors and judges compared to peer counties.
District Attorney Deberry reported the Durham County Detention Center census was 440 people at 8:30 a.m. that day and said the courthouse sees higher counts on Mondays because weekend arrests accumulate. She attributed higher populations to a mix of federal detainees, failures to appear, and limited diversion and treatment capacity in the community.
"There are 440 people detained as of 08:30 this morning," Deberry said. She explained investigators and prosecutors face an explosion of digital evidence that must be obtained from private companies and shared with defense counsel, and the county depends on state labs and the medical examiner for forensic work — delays that extend the time from charge to disposition.
Deberry said Durham has fewer assistant district attorneys and judges than similarly sized jurisdictions; she estimated average homicide case disposition takes about two years and trials can take longer. Commissioners asked for benchmarking and trend data to quantify impacts on county costs (for example, medical care spending in the jail) and to identify potential investments that reduce long‑term detention expenses.
