![]() The facility houses those who have been charged with a crime and are awaiting trial, those who have been arrested on warrants, people placed on hold by the Arkansas Department of Probation and Parole, people sentenced by county and municipal courts, and state inmates awaiting transfer to the Arkansas Department of Corrections. Inmates are held at the Washington County Jail after they are arrested for crimes ranging from violations to misdemeanors to felonies. This jail houses adult male and female inmates who have been arrested by local county or city law enforcement. This facility is one of the largest county jails in the state, and houses an average of 700 inmates. Helder proposed a $38 million, 600 bed expansion of the jail in 2019, which was rejected by Washington County justices of the peace.The Washington County Jail (also known as the Washington County Detention Center) is located in Fayetteville, Arkansas and is operated by the Washington County Sheriff's Office. “We have been very aggressive administratively, releasing misdemeanor and non-violent offenders at a rate of approximately 200 per month,” Helder said in the open letter. In an open letter from March 2019, Sheriff Helder said he has been pushing to ease overcrowding since 2014 and called for a jail expansion. In December, there were some 90 detainees sleeping on mats on the floor. The Washington County Detention Center has had a significant issue with overcrowding prior to the COVID-19 outbreak. “I cannot be put on the lease, or they would not have gotten the apartment,” he said. Sessions said his family is living in an apartment, but he formally cannot live with them due to his criminal record. Interviews with homeless people revealed significant problems finding housing if they have a criminal record. The vast majority of homeless detainees had administrative charges, including failure to pay fines. Graphic by Michael Adkison. “The convicts that come out of jail…they let them out a two o’clock in the morning, there’s no ORT (Ozark Regional Transit) and they have to walk somewhere, they have no place to go,” said Davis, a homeless veteran.Īt least six of the detention center inmates and five released detainees listed the 7Hills Homeless Center as their address, which is about 1 mile away from the detention center. ![]() In general, homeless people released from jail have particular difficulty in finding housing, according to Nick Robbins, executive director of Returning Home, a transitional housing initiative in Springdale, Arkansas, One homeless advocate, Alvin Davis, said there is little support for people released from jail. The Razorback Reporter analysis showed around three-quarters of the released homeless detainees had administrative charges, and nearly half were charged with drug-related crimes. The sheriff’s department said those detainees released were as nonviolent offenders. “Those individuals could and should be released for further adjudication at a time when the coronavirus threat is no longer the case in NWA,” Fitzpatrick said prior to the release. Kevin Fitzpatrick, a University of Arkansas sociology professor and expert on local homelessness, said that releasing these nonviolent inmates was the right response for the detention center. See Details of the Razorback Reporter Analysis:Īround one in ten detainees identify as homeless. Sheriff Helder tested negative for COVID-19 and has since returned to work. Helder himself was in self-quarantine in March after his son was exposed to the virus. Sheriff Tim Helder has endorsed self-quarantining as an effort to prevent spread of the disease. “Being homeless was not in our criteria regarding release,” Kelly Cantrell, Washington County Sheriff’s Department spokeswoman, said in an emailed statement, “but we are providing information to individuals upon their release who may be homeless.” Sheriff’s Department officials did not return requests for interviews.Ĭontaining spread of the virus has been a prominent topic at the Washington County Sheriff’s Department. Homeless detainees were determined by looking at their addresses on the roster some were listed as homeless while others listed the address of a local homeless shelter or a motel. The Razorback Reporter examined home addresses and pending criminal charges for 637 detainees listed on Maand March 27, 2020. More than 200 detainees were released between March 18 and March 27.
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