Mayor Lester Miller: New initiatives will address overcrowding at Bibb County Jail, save $2.5 million in taxes annually

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Today, Macon-Bibb County Mayor Lester Miller announced several new initiatives he says will improve conditions for inmates inside the Bibb County Jail, ease the burden on staff and benefit county residents. The announcement comes after community outcry, protests, and a

series of fatal incidents

inside the jail, including the stabbing death of inmate

Brelee Johnson

last week.

Miller says a 30-day audit will identify 150 inmates at the jail who’ve been charged with nonviolent offences and deemed not to be a threat to public safety. Miller says those inmates will be released wearing ankle monitors and required to work, helping to support the community and their family members.

“I need the expertise at the DA, the solicitor, the people that know these individuals at the jail to make sure that, just because they look good on paper, to make sure that they won’t be something we have to worry about that we may not know off the record,” Miller said.

Miller says reducing overcrowding at the jail will save $2.5 million in taxes each year. He also announced the Macon InReach Program, which will provide case management and discharge planning before inmates are released. This will connect the inmates to housing, jobs and treatment.

“Nonviolent offenders are returning to our communities, and we want them to return better because that increases public safety,” said Anita Howard, District Attorney of the Macon Judicial Circuit. “And that is the priority.”

Miller didn’t rule out construction of a new jail in the future, but says the focus now is on expansion. The county filed a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) Tuesday, which Miller says will allow companies to place bids on the expansion project.

“Once we get the pricing and the architecture, that’ll go back before the commission,” Miller said. “If they vote to approve that, then of course we would allocate the funds necessary to start and begin the process.”

According to Macon-Bibb County, more than one-third of the jail population has behavioral health needs. Miller says the initiatives will improve mental health services and no longer allow family income to dictate an inmate’s future.

“We must eliminate a two-tiered justice system where individuals who can afford it are at home while those that cannot are in jail,” Miller said.

Miller says the newly established Macon Justice and Wellness Task Force will evaluate these new initiatives. He adds that the county will fund the purchase of ankle monitors for inmates released after the audit using money from the Macon Violence Prevention’s allocated budget.