CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Repeat offenders are not only causing headaches for police, but they are also clogging up the court system and jails, the Mecklenburg County sheriff says.

Sheriff Jim Pendergraph released the results of a study conducted by his office and the University of North Carolina at Charlotte's Department of Criminal Justice early Thursday. It details the impact of repeat offenders on the community and illustrates the need to get them out of the system.

The study shows 81 people were arrested in Mecklenburg County at least seven times in 2005, and those people were charged with 1,567 crimes, spending a total of 7,440 days in jail. In all, it cost taxpayers $ 811,000 for those jail stays.

Pendergraph says so many people are being incarcerated, the jail is in a crisis.

"I have them stuffed and stacked in every closet now," he said.

Pendergraph is hardly exaggerating. Pods designed for 56 inmates regularly house 75 to 80 -- forcing hundreds in the jail to sleep on the floor, which puts deputies and guards in danger. The sheriff says something has to give, but he's not very optimistic.

"There is no short-term jail diversion solution to this. It's something that's going to be planned and it's a long-term solution," Pendergraph said.

The study shows many of the people arrested over and over again face relatively minor charges -- eight out of 10 are misdemeanors -- which lead to short stays. Anthony Banks, for example, has been arrested 25 times in the last 30 months.

Many chronic offenders have drug, alcohol or psychological problems that experts say are best dealt with outside of jail, but right now programs to do that aren't in place in sufficient numbers in Mecklenburg County. Law enforcement officials are looking to County Manager Harry Jones to make them a priority when he releases his budget recommendation next month.

"It's a high priority," Jones said. "I've got to evaluate my total budget against other competing demands, but it is a priority. How much of a priority, I'll have to make a decision on that at some point."

In the meantime floor mattresses will be standard equipment in the jail -- where it's standing room only with no end and no easy solution in sight.

Pendergraph is also pushing for more jail space to be built. He said he believes the inmate population will reach record levels this summer; he estimates the jail will house over 3,000 inmates by summer when its capacity is only 2,100.

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