FORMER SHERIFF & JAILER STILL WORKING WITH INCARCERATED

A 40-year veteran of Daviess County law enforcement is helping the wheels
of justice spin more efficiently for inmates in limbo.

At least 100 criminal cases, almost all of them felonies, were settled last
year thanks in part to the guidance and communication from Charles "Boots"
Norris, former Daviess County sheriff and jailer.

About two days each week Norris works for the Daviess County Detention
Center as a link between inmates at the jail, their public defenders and
the prosecuting attorneys.

"I keep the communication rolling all the time," Norris said. "The first
thing I tell (the inmates) is that I don't know whether I can help you or
not, but I won't hurt you."

Norris offers his 40-plus years of experience to people who need it the
most. Many inmates wrestling with charges involving drug abuse and other
criminal activity rely on Norris to show them the way to recovery.

Norris strongly advocates drug court, an alternative sentencing option that
helps steer nonviolent offenders off drugs and back into the community. His
work shortens the amount of time inmates sit in jail awaiting an outcome of
their charges.

Before he came out of retirement for the part-time paid position almost two
years ago, it was not uncommon for inmates to serve out the full possible
sentence of their crime while waiting for an outcome in court.

The inmates would leave with no new skills and no knowledge about avoiding
the illegal drugs that frequently helped them land behind bars in the first
place, he said.

During 2001, about 85 percent of the 525 indictments in Daviess Circuit
Court were somehow related to narcotics, involving either burglaries to get
cash and jewelry for drugs, robberies for drug money or assaults related to
drug deals and territory, said Mike Van Meter, assistant commonwealth's
attorney for Daviess County.

Of the 50 indictments that may be issued each month, roughly 45 of those go
to the Department of Public Advocacy, Daviess County Jailer Harold Taylor said.

Often an inmate's limited chances to make phone calls to his or her
attorney or to a prosecutor are unsuccessful. The inmates rely on Norris,
who makes it clear to inmates that he is not an attorney, to explain
criminal charges such as the difference between manufacturing
methamphetamine and trafficking methamphetamine.

Norris examines many of the cases and keeps communication flowing between
inmates and attorneys. Frequently, the result is a quicker disposition of
the case, which results in a lighter caseload for overburdened public
advocates and prosecutors, Norris said.

The rapidly increasing number of criminal arrests has grown more quickly
than funding or staff at the offices of public defenders and prosecuting
attorneys.

At 68, Norris is providing guidance to many grandchildren of people he
arrested as a young sheriff's deputy in 1958.

But the scary thing is the new names from expensive neighborhoods that wind
up in jail because of drugs, he said.

"It's from all over, from the better neighborhoods in the community,"
Norris said. "You think, 'My gracious, these could be my grandkids.' I
think a lot of people don't pay attention to it until it hits them. The
signs are there."

Every time Norris visits the jail he is greeted with 10 to 15 letters from
inmates seeking his help in their cases. Either they don't understand the
charges they face or are unable to reach their attorney at the Department
of Public Advocacy.

Norris' experience includes 20 years with the sheriff's department, 11
years at the jail and nine years as an investigator for the commonwealth's
attorney's office.

Taylor created the position and offered it to Norris when he realized that
such a position would help inmates and earn money for the jail.

"Boots certainly had the expertise," Taylor said. "He had a total
understanding of the whole criminal justice system."

Once an inmate receives a final sentence, the jail begins receiving the
state payments of $27.51 each day per inmate. Before the inmate is
sentenced, the county jail must pay for their stay as well as any medical
exams or surgery, Taylor said.

Because of the backlog in the court system many inmates would complain
about not getting a chance to talk with their attorney or express a desire
to accept a plea agreement but have no one to share that with except their
cellmates, Taylor said.

"It's been a win-win situation for everybody involved," Taylor said. "
Boots is well-respected by everybody he deals with, certainly by me, the
courts and even the inmates."

Norris said he hopes he can continue to serve in the position, which gives
him an opportunity to give something back to Daviess County, he said.

"From my standpoint, if you don't do something, if you just keep building
jails, where are we going to be?" Norris said. "You've always got to take a
look at the full picture and remember one thing. Everybody in there (the
jail) is a mother, a father, a son, a daughter. We've got to remember
they're human beings with bodies and souls."