Lack of Jail Space
Hampers Federal Authorities
in Southwest Virginia
Roanoke, VA -
Jail space to house federal prisoners nationwide has become a
critical need for the country’s oldest law enforcement agency, the
U.S. Marshals Service. As the number of detainees soars nationally,
southwest Virginia is feeling the pinch as well. The U.S. Marshals
Service, as well as other federal agencies, are being told by local
and state governments that they have no room to house federal
prisoners. Recent attempts to negotiate a contract with the
Southwest Virginia Regional Jail Board have failed and the Jail
Authority has opted not to provide jail services to federal inmates.
“This dilemma creates a
severe burden on our already down-sized staffing situation and
places our deputies and the public in danger as federal prisoners
are transported extensive distances just to find housing,” said
Wayne Pike, U.S. Marshal for the Western District of Virginia. The
federal prisoners who are being tried in the Abingdon and Big Stone
Gap divisions are being housed 145 miles away in Roanoke and are
being transported daily for court appearances. “This situation not
only creates a security nightmare, but the taxpayers must pick up
the tab on increased labor costs and fuel bills to move these
prisoners back and forth,” added Pike.
Many of the jails that
the Marshals Service contracted with in southwest Virginia have
closed since the state adopted the regional jail concept. This
concept severely limits the abilities of federal law enforcement to
ensure that our streets and communities are safer. Nationwide, the
Marshals Service maintains custody of more than 55,000 federal
inmates, most housed in local jails who provide contract services to
the federal government. Last year, the Marshals Service in the
Western District of Virginia paid local jails more than seven
million dollars to house federal prisoners. On average, the Western
District of Virginia maintains custody of approximately 400 federal
prisoners each day.
The loss of these jails
and the inability to negotiate contracts with the Regional Jail
Authorities puts the federal law enforcement agencies behind the
8-ball and severely hampers the administration of justice. With the
increase in man hours, transportation, and the workload created by
the lack of jail space, many of the benefits returned to state and
local coffers will suffer. Revenue returned from equitable sharing
in drug cases and possible federal grants to localities will be
redirected to absorb the costs created by having to house federal
prisoners elsewhere. In the end, the taxpayers are the biggest
losers of all in that they have to foot the bill without any return
for their investment.
As deputy marshals spend
more time transporting prisoners to and from court over these great
distances, the Blue Ridge Fugitive Apprehension Strike Team (BRFAST)
task force will suffer due to a lack of manpower created by the jail
bed space shortage.
The Blue Ridge Fugitive
Apprehension Strike Team task force was formed by the Marshals
Service in 2004 as a joint federal, state and local law enforcement
endeavor to pursue and arrest dangerous fugitives wanted at the
international, national and state level thereby making our
communities safer for our citizens and our children. To date, the
BRFAST has cleared more than 200 federal arrest warrants and more
than 500 state arrest warrants.
The Marshals Service is
our nation’s oldest federal law enforcement agency founded in 1789.
U.S. Marshals and their deputies are responsible for providing
protection to the federal judiciary, transporting federal prisoners,
protecting endangered federal witnesses and managing assets seized
from criminal enterprises. In fiscal year 2005, the Marshals Service
apprehended more than 35,500 federal fugitives, more than all other
federal law enforcement agencies combined.
In addition, while
working with authorities at the state and local levels, Marshals
Service led fugitive task forces arrested an additional 44,000 state
and local fugitives. More on the U.S. Marshals and the historic
Western District of Virginia can be found at
www.usmarshals.gov by
clicking on Local District Offices. |