JAIL EXPANSION IS INEVITABLE

It's not too early for the county to begin exploring what steps to take to
avert overcrowding.

A rising number of arrests is routinely pushing the county's jail
population beyond the facility's capacity - a dangerous trend which invites
a return to the serious security flaws federal officials found in a
scathing report of jail conditions three years ago. Inevitably, the county
will be forced to add more jail space unless it can find alternatives to
incarceration.

The Greenville County Council should begin exploring possible expansion
plans soon to deal with escalating arrests. Until an expansion plan is on
the table, county officials should continue to invest in alternatives to
incarceration to help alleviate what is now a budding overcrowding problem.
Additionally, inmates awaiting trail are still languishing behind bars for
far too long - despite the recent good news that the judicial circuit that
includes Greenville is now current in its caseload after four years of
backlogs.

Last month 13th Circuit Solicitor Bob Ariail announced that his caseload
had been nearly halved, from 13,500 cases in April 1999 to 7,856 in July.
Also, Ariail said the number of cases that have gone more than one year
without resolution has dropped from 4,100 in 1999 to 230. Still, the number
of inmates awaiting trial dwarfs the number of inmates at the jail serving
sentences for minor violations like traffic offenses and writing bad
checks. Relief from overcrowding would surely come in abundance if more
cases were disposed of in 180 days - the goal of each of the state's circuits.

A case has also been made by some state lawmakers for more reasonable bail
so that nonviolent offenders and low flight risks can await trial at home.
Home confinement defrays the tremendous expense of housing, feeding and
clothing inmates.

In wake of the Jamel Radcliff death in 1997, federal officials found that
the county jail suffered tremendously from overcrowding, making inmate and
staff safety a high concern. The death of Christopher Bryan Lee in 1999
illustrates the danger posed by an overcrowded jail that can't properly
classify and segregate its prisoners.

Lee, who was serving a 90-day sentence on misdemeanor charges, was housed
in the same cell as Freddie Eugene Owens the night after Owens was
convicted on murder charges. Lee was brutally killed and Owens was charged
in his death. An isolation unit was available for Owens that night.
However, the jail's director admitted after the killing that overcrowding
often limits who can be placed in isolation.

This county has before suffered through tragedy and turmoil at the jail
that can be traced to the difficulties posed by overcrowding. Greenville
County should seize this opportunity to stay ahead of the problem.