INMATES OVERFLOWING IN TENNESSEE'S COUNTY JAILS

McMINNVILLE (AP) - Inmates cover the floor, cots and tables - men too
miserable to sleep and with no reason to get up.

If they stood, they'd have nowhere to go. There is little room to move in
the bullpen, a wide-open cell at the Warren County Jail built to house two
dozen prisoners. Currently, more than 50 inmates cram the space. Many live
on the concrete floor.

It's been this way for six years. Drug arrests soared in rural Tennessee
and a shortage of bunks pushed inmates to the floor. When two bullpens
filled, the jailhouse chapel became a cell. When that reached capacity,
nowhere else existed to place inmates and some were simply set free.

"There's been a few times when the judge has issued an early release
because of it," said Warren County Sheriff Jackie Matheny.

The jail, which is not certified by the state because of its overcrowding,
was built to hold about 100 inmates. It typically houses more than 200.

Warren County is not the exception. Tennessee has 29 jails that are not
certified, either because they are obsolete or overcrowded. In both cases,
escapes are more frequent, violence is the norm and lawsuits are
unavoidable, officials say.

"You put 80 Sunday school teachers in a room that seats 20, they're going
to start taking shots at each other," Matheny said. "These are criminals
we're talking about."

Over the past few years, the number of inmates at county jails has grown
steadily as tougher drug laws - specifically those targeting
methamphetamine users - have gone into effect.

Matheny estimates up to 90% of his inmates are jailed on drug charges.

While jail populations have increased, counties have been reluctant to
build new jails or expand existing ones.

Warren County commissioners recently voted against building a new $11
million jail. Commissioners could not agree on how to finance it, and the
county executive predicted the commission probably would not revisit the
issue for another three years.

Of the 29 county jails not certified by the state, less than half are
considering improvements or replacements, according to the Tennessee
Corrections Institute, which inspects jails and trains personnel.

"It's a countrywide problem, and a Tennessee problem in particular," said
Roy Nixon, institute director. "You put it up against whether you need
schools, and the jail is going to lose every time."

Many crowded, aging jails are in poorer, rural counties such as Grundy,
Sequatchie, Bledsoe and Van Buren, but not all.

Shelby County has the largest jail in the state and one of the biggest in
the country. It also has some of the gravest problems.

The county is under a federal court order to upgrade the jail. Even with
the improvements, it is not expected to meet state standards, Nixon said.

The jail was designed to house about 1,300 prisoners but typically holds
double that, leading to gangs running the lockup, gladiator fights and
frequent sexual assaults.

Shelby County has been sued numerous times, including a $15 million
wrongful death lawsuit filed earlier this year by the families of three
deceased inmates who claim jail officials failed to provide "adequate
medical and mental health care."

Warren County is dealing with two federal lawsuits filed in the past month
by former inmates. The lawsuits seek a combined $23 million in damages.

William T. Ramsey claims he was beaten severely by other inmates and was
forced to sleep in "human waste, and to sleep on a half-inch mat with no
sheet or pillow."

Carlious L. Myers contends he suffered a stroke that went untreated and now
is permanently disabled.

No lawsuits have been filed in Grundy County, but Sheriff Robert Meeks said
it was only a matter of time.

Inmates in his jail walk freely because the locks on the cell doors no
longer work. The jail, which was built about 30 years ago to hold 30
inmates, has about 45 prisoners.

"We're so overcrowded. It's inevitable," Meeks said of lawsuits.

Counties also have difficulty finding and retaining jailers. The position
pays about $7 per hour in most counties with few if any benefits.

Matheny said turnover was high before the Warren County jail was
overcrowded. Now, he struggles to find anyone who will take the job.

Solutions are difficult, as counties have no real incentive to bring their
jails up to state code.

No penalty exists for having a non-certified jail. Those counties receive
the same amount of money to house state prisoners as certified jails, about
$18 to $35 per day. The only stipulation is they have to earmark 70% of
those funds for improvements, and even that is difficult to monitor.

For Matheny, who plans to seek a third term as sheriff, he'll likely serve
it in the same office he sits in now, running the same jail.

"The commissioners say, 'Maybe it won't be so bad in a few years. Maybe
crime will go down.' To me that's unbelievable," he said.