Members of the Douglas County Citizens Law Enforcement Academy class got a first hand look at jail conditions Thursday night as they toured the overcrowded 26-year-old county facility.

The 12-week Academy is designed to introduce county residents to the complexities involved in law enforcement. Topics include gangs, school resource officers, search and seizure, drugs, vice, firearms training, internet crime and K-9 officers. In the 11th week, class participants get to ride with a patrolling deputy.

Capt. Kevin Hensley, who taught the class Thursday and led the jail tour, said the building was constructed in 1983. According to American Jail Association capacity estimates, based on square footage, its maximum capacity should be 480 inmates.

“When I checked this morning, we had 740,” Hensley said.

He noted the cells were designed for one inmate, but the county early on got court permission to put two inmates per cell.

“We now have four inmates in each 6-by-10 cell,” he said.

Hensley said the jail is a direct supervision type facility, where officers have personal contact with all the inmates. A floor officer works a 12-hour shift, guarding 130 inmates, he said. Duties include searches, breaking up fights, handling visitation and chapel visits.

Other jails, such as those in Paulding and Cobb counties, have a visual guarding system which provides more security to guards and allows them to monitor more inmates.

One problem facing the county jail is the holding of state prisoners until prison space opens up.

“As of yesterday, we had 140 state inmates waiting for the state to pick them up,” he said. “We sent 55 to the state in the past month.”

He noted that once an inmate is convicted, he or she becomes the responsibility of the state and the county starts billing the state for jail costs.

Hensley said Douglas County once sent inmates to Carroll and Paulding counties when the jail was overcrowded. Now both those counties have full jails, he added.

Douglas County currently farms out its overflow to Irwin County in South Georgia, a four and one-half hour trip from Douglasville.

“We pay them $45 per day and they have 36 of our inmates,” he said. “They provide transportation.”

A major area of concern among the jail staff is the dorm area, where several inmates are held in a common area, similar to a military barracks. Jail guards run the risk of being attacked by several inmates when they work in the area. All female inmates are also housed in a similar common area.

Douglas Count voters will decide on a Nov. 3 referendum if they want to impose a one-cent special purpose local option sales tax (SPLOST) to finance a new $140 million jail. The SPLOST would be levied for six years or until such a time that the $140 is raised.