LEON COUNTY, Fla. (WTXL) — Leon County Commissioner and Chairman Bill Proctor wrote a letter Tuesday to State Attorney Jack Campbell and Public Defender Jessica Yeary to address presentence detention and its effects on the community.
In the letter, Proctor writes that the Leon County Detention Facility is reaching its 1,200 person maximum capacity with 1,175 detainees currently residing in the facility. He added that 30 people are being detained in neighboring counties due to the capacity limitations in the LCDC.
The average length of stay for people detained, pre-sentence ranges from 262 days to as long as four years in custody. Many of these people are serving a sentence before they have been sentenced, according to the county commissioner.
"I am asking you to please meet with me and select members of our legal system to review our current approaches to processing persons through the legal system who have been arrested for alleged crimes," Proctor wrote. "My goal is to arrive at a workable answer to lowering the population of the Leon County Detention Center."
Proctor also added that the taxpayer burden of housing detainees is another reason for reform. The county commissioner wrote that it costs taxpayers roughly $100 per day for each detainee to stay at the LCDC.
"It is my understanding that your office, Mr. Campbell, has extended plea agreements to 82% of defendants with pending cases," Proctor wrote. "However, Ms. Yeary, your office, has determined that these plea offers would not be acceptable to your clients. There must be some way your offices can work together to ensure justice for all."
The goal, according to Proctor, is to lower the stay period for the LCDC from 262 days down to 30 to 45 days.
The full letter can be read below.
