JAIL FILLED BEYOND CAPACITY

FORT PIERCE -- As the St. Lucie County Jail on Rock Road continues to
struggle with overcrowding, jail officials continue to struggle with
keeping inmates on track to get in or out on time.

The situation can be overwhelming and dangerous, according to Public
Defender Diamond Litty.

"We need to deal with minor offenders in an expeditious manner," Litty
said. "Many times, minor offenders sit in jail longer than the maximum
sentence for their crime."

Litty addressed this ongoing problem with a blue ribbon committee
headed up by Chief Circuit Court Judge Cynthia Angelos last month. The
solution has come in the way of a new attorney position to be based at
the jail.

The St. Lucie County Commission last month approved spending $42,000
to hire an attorney who will work for the public defender's office,
but be based at the jail.

The job's responsibilities include everything from processing
paperwork to working out plea agreements. Litty said the attorney
would also be responsible for keeping a close tab on inmates with
mental health issues.

"We feel it will be a great conduit to have an assistant public
defender at the jail to work out pleas and do whatever they could to
speed their cases along," said Sheriff Ken Mascara. "It is part of a
plan to ease overcrowding."

The jail has a maximum capacity of 1,133 inmates, Mascara said. On
Tuesday, he said, the population was 1,119, and Thursday it had jumped
to 1,141 -- the highest recorded at the jail.

Mascara said the total number of inmates housed at the jail often
winds up higher than it was designed to hold. A $16 million jail
expansion is in the works, but it won't be completed for a year or
two. Plans are for 560 new beds.

Meanwhile, moving inmates through the system faster will help ease the
jail's burden, Litty said.

"The jail overcrowding has become a crisis," Litty said. "Obviously,
this new position will help. I think this is a unique situation, even
in the state."

Litty said she considered hiring a new attorney to fill the position,
but she decided to select a current assistant public defender instead.
Litty said attorney Kevin Caldwell's local knowledge would help him
operate independently at the jail.

Caldwell, who has spent almost three years as a local public defender
in misdemeanor court, starts the new job on Tuesday.