Macon County Jail numbers drop in the wake of no cash bail law

(WAND) — The SAFE-T Act has been in effect for seven weeks now. Across the state, jail populations are down, as non-violent and first time offenders are mostly being released from jail until their court date.

"There was such concern about this act, when it went into effect, that the jail doors were all going to fly open, and everyone would be released onto the streets. And that's not what we're seeing in real time here," Michelle Sanders, the Chief Public Defender at Macon County, told WAND News.

About 240 inmates are behind bars in Macon County, which is roughly 60 fewer than the jail typically sees.

"What it helps on is the amount of violence that's going on inside the jail. Anytime you pack a whole bunch of people in a small area, they tend not to get along as well, so they start get violent with each other," Lt. Jamie Belcher, of the Macon County Sheriff's Office, explained.

But Lt. Belcher said his staff is seeing more violence when inmates learn they may not be eligible for pre-trial release.

"Initially they were getting physically getting violent with our officers that were taking them into the jail. Occasionally we still are seeing a couple inmates here or there that get physically violent with our officers once they realize they're not leaving until their court case is done," Lt. Belcher told WAND News.

Sanders said for first time, and non-violent offenders, tend to be those getting released. But many are still being held in custody until their trial.

"By and large what we are seeing is, the individuals who are less of a threat to the community, are the ones who are out. Whereas the ones who are the threat to the community, by and large, at least based on the charges that they have, that they are the ones being held at this point," Sanders explained.

She said the season also plays a part in the dropping inmate population.

"Part of that is due to the fact that we're getting into the cooler months and usually we do see a decrease in the jail in the cooler months anyway. So we're seeing that a little more than usual right now," Sanders said.

Lt. Belcher said the number of inmates could increase if judges start sanctioning suspects who don't show up for their court date while out on pre-trial release.

"If they repeatedly don't show back up to court, or the courts get some type of information or evidence that hey this person is a flight risk, then ultimately we could see our population spike back up regardless of what time of the year it is," Lt. Blecher added.

The budget for the Macon County Jail is set by the county board. Staff and budget are not expected to change unless the jail sees a drastic change in the total number of inmates.