By Staff
ST. JOSEPH -- The Berrien County Jail is in Day 21 of overcrowding. The State of Michigan mandates a maximum number of inmates that may be held in any Michigan Jail Facility based on various criteria. In the case of the Berrien County Jail the maximum number of inmates is 341.
After 24 days of a jail population over this number, state law dictates certain aggressive procedures be taken to reduce the jail overcrowding situation. Simply stated, the process works like this:
1. If the jail population is not at or below the maximum by Day 24 the County Sheriff (L. Paul Bailey) is required to send a list of all current inmates to the Chief Circuit Judge (Paul Maloney).
2. The Chief Circuit Judge reviews the list of inmates and divides them in two categories: a.) inmates likely to be a threat to the public if released b.) inmates not likely to be a threat to the public if released.
3. The Chief Circuit Judge will return the lists to the County Sheriff with instructions to reduce the sentence of all the inmates on the list of not likely to be a threat to the public if released. The sentence will be reduced not more than 25 percent as determined by the Chief Circuit Judge.
4. The County Sheriff will then recalculate the release date of all applicable inmates based on this order.