Recurring Overpopulation Causing Macomb County Jail To Release Some Prisoners Early
MT. CLEMENS (WWJ) -- Overcrowded since the end of October, Macomb County Jail administrators are turning to the courts for help in deciding which inmates to release early in order to get back under capacity and back in compliance with state law.
Macomb County Sheriff Anthony Wickersham said that talks are underway over what to do with the jail which, opened in 1954.
"Our jail holds 1,218 prisoners, so we needed to get to 1,193 to end this declaration," Wickersham said. "(With) the individuals who need to be incarcerated, it keeps getting harder and harder for us to manage that population."
Wickersham is submitting a list of early release candidates to Macomb Chief Circuit Court Judge John Foster, who can modify sentences, reduce bonds and release prisoners on tether.
This is the 14th overcrowding "State of Emergency" declared in Macomb County in the last 10 years.
"I've been with the Sheriff's Office for 30 years -- the last four as the Sheriff -- and this has always been an issue here," Wickersham said. "We have to take a look at 20 to 25 years out into the future, because as Macomb County grows, with that population, with that growth comes crime."
Wickersham said that the structural insecurity of the building is something that the county needs to look into also.
"That facility is well past its life expectancy," Wickersham said. "Whether it's building around it or refurbishing it or going with a new jail, it's something that has to be looked at."
