The county jail population hit an all-time high over the weekend, highlighting the need for a new jail in Glen Burnie, County Executive Robert R. Neall said yesterday.
Opponents of a plan to build a new jail on county-owned land on Ordnance Road accused Mr. Neall of manipulating the numbers for political gains at the polls today.
State Sen. Philip C. Jimeno, a Brooklyn Park Democrat who has made opposition to the proposed jail a major part of his re-election campaign, called it "a political ploy."
"The jail issue is a major issue and it just seems odd that the day before the election, they would come forward with these new numbers," Mr. Jimeno said during a break in last-minute campaigning. "They did the same thing before the primary."
The jail's population hit 727 inmates Saturday night, which topped the old record of 723 people set in November 1992. Yesterday, the population was down to 694.
About two weeks before the Sept. 13 primary election, county Detention Center officials released figures that showed the jail population had dramatically increased over the previous two months.
At that time, Mr. Neall cited the figures in calling for his plan to build a $27 million minimum-security jail in Glen Burnie. He also criticized Democratic executive candidate Theodore J. Sophocleus for opposing the plan. Mr. Sophocleus has said he would review the need for a new Detention Center; he favors expanded use of alternative sentences such as home detention for nonviolent offenders.
Yesterday, Mr. Neall repeated his call for the Ordnance Road jail.
"I think it shows clearly that the time to act is now. We certainly can't afford any more analysis time or delay," said Mr. Neall, who has endorsed Republican candidate John G. Gary, a backer of the Ordnance Road jail plan.
Although the County Council voted last winter to place the jail in Glen Burnie, the election of a new governor and at least four new council members means the decision will be revisited, Mr. Sophocleus said. "They [Mr. Neall and Mr. Gary] act like they can go in the first thing and build this jail. And they know and I know it's not possible."
He, too, questioned the timing of Mr. Neall's announcement. "It seems awfully funny that the population was up the weekend before the election," he said.
Detention Center supervisor Richard Baker said manipulating the figures is almost impossible, because of factors beyond his control. This weekend, for example, 20 people were arrested in a statewide crackdown on parents delinquent on child-support payments, about 10 people were arrested in an Annapolis drug sweep and 38 people were serv
ing weekend sentences, an unusually high number.
The jail has a stated capacity of 600, but jail officials say they can accommodate about 760 if every bed is taken. But sometimes there is room where it isn't needed. For example, Mr. Baker said, over the weekend he had plenty of room in the female dormitory.
"But, obviously, I can't put males into a female housing unit. So, while their beds are open, they can't be used," he said.
The high weekend numbers reflect a trend that has seen the average daily population for each month steadily increase since the spring, when the average was 550 inmates. By August, the average had reached 626 inmates. In September, the figure climbed to 671 inmates and last month it peaked at 678 inmates.
The numbers are rising despite several programs that have significantly reduced the inmate count. One is a program for parents previously jailed for nonpayment of child support; now they receive counseling, job training and help in finding employment.
The public defender's office also stations an lawyer at the jail to expedite casework, which has resulted in about 25 fewer inmates at any one time, Mr. Baker estimated.
Mr. Neall, who had hoped to build the jail during his term, warned that his successor will have to deal with jail overcrowding.
"I think they're virtually out of space," Mr. Neall said. "They won't have a horizontal spot to put a cot on. And that's not a way to run a railroad."