AM 1180 Chattooga County Radio has been reporting about the large number of inmates being housed at the Chattooga County Jail.  According to a 1984 Federal Court Order, the county sheriff’s department is not to house over 47 inmates in the jail.

Sheriff John Everett spoke with AM 1180 Chattooga County Radio about the issue and pointed out that right now he has 35 inmates that are awaiting transfer to a Georgia State Prison.  Everett said that he is hoping that the state will be able to find room for these prisoners soon.  Everett said that he has talked with the Department of Corrections and that they are currently scrambling to find room to house these inmates.

Representative Barbara Massey Reece told AM 1180 Chattooga County Radio that she had put in the word to the Department of Corrections about the large number of state prison inmates that were needing to be transferred out of the jail.

Sheriff Everett also pointed out that since 2006 the budget for housing prisoners outside the county has been cut.  Currently the county has around $380,000 budgeted to house inmates outside the county.  Everett said that if he had to house every inmate over the required 47 it could cost the county close to $900,000.00 for this year alone.

Chattooga County Commissioner Jason Winters told AM 1180 Chattooga County radio that even though he does not want to have to build a new jail at this time, the county should begin to make preliminary plans to deal with the inmate housing problem.