Officials are taking a wait-and-see

approach to an earlier consensus that a moratorium on new prisoners at

the Fayette County Jail might be in order.

As daily population levels

hovered around the 240 mark at the jail, designed for about 80 inmates,

the County Commission last week discussed the idea of turning away all

new inmates until the jail population recedes to 160.

"You have reached the

point at which it is not advisable that you accept anymore prisoners,"

County Attorney Bill McNally told the commission during its work session

last week.

Although a new jail will soon

be under construction, it will be 18 months to two years before it's ready

to receive prisoners, and overcrowding must be dealt with now, McNally

said.

But discovery of documents

in which the county formally agreed to accept prisoners from local municipal

courts has muddied the water. "There are complicating factors on

everything we want to do [to solve the problem]," said Commissioner

Greg Dunn this week.

Commissioners appeared ready

to enact a moratorium effective Oct. 15, but after discussing the matter

again Thursday, decided to hold off until McNally and Sheriff's Department

officials could discuss the problem more thoroughly with all the police

agencies using the jail.

McNally said this week that

county and local municipal judges and law enforcement agencies are trying

alternative sentencing and new procedures to help relieve the pressure,

and it's working.

For instance, he said, the

process of accepting guilty pleas is being speeded up so that prisoners

can be moved to state facilities faster, freeing up space in the jail.

Bond hearings for traffic offenders

and others who are not dangerous also are being put on a fast track, he

said, so that those who are going to be released on bond anyway can be

released sooner.

"This is not going to

solve the whole problem," McNally said, adding that eventually commissioners

will have to discuss the idea of sending some of Fayette's prisoners elsewhere.

Underlying the commission discussion

last week was the fear that federal agencies might force the county to

take drastic measures if the jail overcrowding gets any worse. "Don't

think for a minute that because we are in a building program for a new

jail that the feds won't [take action]," said Commissioner Glen Gosa.

Two recent deaths at the jail

also may have prompted the heightened concern over the crowded conditions.

Dunn added that safety for

those who work at the jail also is a concern. "We cannot leave the

sheriff and his deputies in a situation of having to deal with a dangerous

situation," he said.

That doesn't mean dangerous

criminals will be released, though, commissioners hastened to add. "This

is not a get out of jail free card," said Commissioner Linda Wells.

Jail manager, Sheriff's Department

Maj. Robert Glaze, said he has been involved in discussions with county

officials about the problem and is looking for relief. "I want to

get my numbers to a manageable level," he said.

Commissioners acknowledged

that they will probably have to find more money in the budget to house

local prisoners elsewhere, sooner or later.

If a moratorium eventually

is needed, the cities of Fayetteville, Peachtree City and Tyrone, which

have been housing their prisoners at the Fayette County Jail, also may

be asked to fund housing for prisoners outside the county. But under the

city/county agreement, that would have to be a negotiated arrangement.

"We realize this is a

budget item that they didn't anticipate. It's going to be the same for

everybody involved," said Dunn.

One possible housing solution

would be to strike a deal with the Union City jail. The jail has excess

capacity, which the local government sells for $45 a day.