The Florence County Detention Center is dealing with overcrowding at the facility, according to Major Michael Nunn with the Florence County Sheriff's Office.
One man said his son had been in a holding cell, with other inmates, for 11 days.
He didn't think that was fair.
Nunn said there's no one reason for the overcrowding, but it's a multifaceted issue.
“There’s no single cause or any single solution with overcrowding we are now having at the detention center. And it’s not just Florence. It’s pretty much any other detention center around the state and various counties. We are doing our best to house them properly and according to the law," explained Nunn.
Several detention centers across the state are overcrowded, including the Spartanburg County Detention Center, according to published reports.
Nunn said their detention center has a capacity of 550 people.
As of Thursday, 462 people were in the jail and that's under capacity.
However, Nunn said they're not able to use two pods to house inmates at this time.
"We have to put them somewhere. We have space and facilities. Sometimes we have a manpower problem. It wouldn’t be safe to open up some of these areas without adequate personnel. We are working hard to try to solve that problem, as well. But as I said, there is no one specific, specific cause. And there’s no one solution. We are going to have to work our way out of this problem," said Nunn.
He said right now they have more than a dozen inmates who have been in jail for more than two and a half years.
"We have approximately 14 inmates here in Florence, who have been in our detention center for 1,000 days. That’s too long. You know, we would’ve certainly hoped that their cases would have been adjudicated by now. And, once someone is brought to the detention center, it’s up to the court system, as to how long they stay. It is really sort of out of our hands," added Nunn.
Nunn said in January of 2021, they had a total of 362 inmates, but violent crimes have increased in Florence County and across the state.
According to the State Law Enforcement Division's (SLED) 2021 crime stats,
South Carolina's murder rate increased by 0.89% from 2020 to 2021.
The state murder rate is at its highest level since 1991.
SLED stats show reports weapon law violations "increased by 4.2% in the past year and 80.8% in the past 10 years."
Statistics reflect that 2021 marks eight straight years of increase. 91% of weapon law violations included firearms (at least 76.08% were identified as handguns).
Nunn said more people are in local jails because those charged with violent crimes aren't being granted bond.
"You have to understand that these local detention centers do not house convicted inmates. Everyone who is here or has been charged with a crime. But, is awaiting trial. So, they are entitled to the presumption of innocence. And if you are in a detention center, in Florence, or any of the other counties. It’s because you either cannot make the bond. That the court has set. Or, you have been given no bond at all. So, the considerations on getting a bond are, is this person going to show up for trial? Can we rely on them to return when necessary to face the charges? And are they a threat to the community? We are seeing a lot of violent crimes. That the courts are actually saying no you have to stay in jail because you’re a danger to the community. Or, we think you won’t show up for trial?"
He added some of the overcrowding is due to those with mental health challenges and substance abuse addictions.
Nunn said the court system was heavily impacted by COVID and that led to many people waiting longer times for their cases to be resolved.
"A lot of folks are here waiting for trial. During COVID, you know the courts are shut down. And so nobody could go to court. Nobody could get their cases adjudicated. Nobody could get their cases tried."
Court dockets swelled during the height of the pandemic with new cases due to the increase in crime.
The South Carolina Supreme Court said in an order in August of 2021 that "The pandemic has necessarily delayed the resolution of many cases."
An order in February of 2021 allowed courts to resume in-person proceedings.
Court officials across the Pee Dee said they're trying to clear as many cases from the docket as quickly as possible.
This will eventually free up space in detention centers to alleviate overcrowding.
"We just ask the public to bear with us, while we work through these processes. It’s the Solicitors Office. It’s the court system. It’s law enforcement. It’s detention. It’s the state corrections. All of these moving parts are struggling under this current load, but hopefully, we will work our way through it all the time," said Nunn.