Knox County Jail Population Reduction Program

About the Program

Category: Criminal Justice and Public Safety (Best in Category)

Year: 2010

From 2006 to 2008, the Knox County Jail population increased at a rate of 20 percent. Knox County jail inmate overcrowding was addressed is a Federal Court Order issued in the mid-1980s. The US District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee established a cap on the number of prisoners that could be housed in the Knox County downtown jail facility. In November of 2002, the Knox County Government was summoned to Court because of a violation of the mandated jail cap. As a result, a penalty was set by the Court for over-capacity violations. The penalty for exceeding the can is $5000 for each day the Know County jail exceeds capacity. A Justice Committee was formed and a Special Master appointed to oversee compliance with the Court Order. Review of Justice Information Management System software revealed a substantial percentage of inmates were serving time at the Know County Jail for failure to appear in Court for misdemeanor citations. In 1009, the misdemeanor booking process was revised through a collaborative effort among county departments, elected office holders, social service providers and others. As a result of the changes made. Knox County has realized a reduction in persons being incarcerated for failing to appear on misdemeanor citations, thereby resolving a significant portion of the overcrowding problem.