FEDERAL INMATES RELOCATE TO MECKLENBURG: Detainees to be housed at Mecklenburg County jails

CHARLOTTE — The Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Marshals Service have reached an agreement to relocate federal detainees to detention facilities in Mecklenburg County, officials announced on Friday afternoon.

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The partnership addresses a regional shortage of local detention beds for federal pretrial detainees in the Western District of North Carolina. Currently, about 350 of the district’s 450 federal detainees are housed in facilities outside North Carolina while awaiting trial.

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The relocated detainees will be housed at Mecklenburg County Jail Central in Uptown Charlotte and the Mecklenburg County Detention Center North. Jail North was closed in 2022 but was recently reopened under the direction of Sheriff Garry McFadden. In September, the sheriff’s office transferred more than 200 state detainees to Jail North, which has an adult capacity of 651.

The renewed arrangement restores local housing for federal detainees following the end of a previous agreement in 2023. Since that agreement ended, federal pretrial detainees have been held in as many as 14 facilities across states including Georgia, Virginia, South Carolina, and Kentucky, with some locations up to six hours away from Charlotte.

Housing detainees locally is expected to reduce delays in federal court proceedings. U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson stated that having detainees closer to their defense attorneys and the court could reduce case timelines by up to a year and a half for some cases.

“Housing federal detainees in Mecklenburg County whose cases are pending in this district not only brings millions of federal dollars to North Carolina that otherwise went to other states, it benefits the federal justice system,” Ferguson said in a news release. “It means defendants are closer to their attorneys—making it easier to prepare their defense and thus move cases faster—and closer to their families, which makes rehabilitation and reentry to society more likely to be successful. It also means shorter, quicker and cheaper transportation to court, which makes it easier to schedule hearings and trials.”

The U.S. Marshals Service holds legal custody of individuals on federal charges from detention orders through the conclusion of their cases, relying on state and local agency partnerships for housing. Chief Deputy U.S. Marshal Chris Edge highlighted the return to local detention facilities.

“The U.S. Marshals Service is excited to once again house federal detainees with the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office,” Edge said in the news release. “The MCSO and the USMS have a long-standing partnership. The reopening of Mecklenburg County Detention Center North will allow for the continued due process of federal detainees and ensure the federal judicial system operates efficiently.”

Sheriff McFadden commended federal law enforcement officials for collaborating on the agreement to bring detainees back to Mecklenburg County.

“When law enforcement and criminal justice agencies work together through transparent collaboration, open communication and an unwavering commitment to public safety, we reinforce accountability and the integrity of the justice system while demonstrating the unity and professionalism our communities expect and deserve,” McFadden said. “Today stands as a clear example of that commitment by bringing federal detainees back to the Sheriff’s Office’s North facility. I commend U.S. Attorney Ferguson and Chief Deputy U.S. Marshal Edge for their leadership and partnership in supporting the Sheriff’s Office throughout this process.”

The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecutes federal criminal cases across 32 counties in western North Carolina. The U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina maintains court divisions in Charlotte, Asheville and Statesville, with its primary headquarters located in uptown Charlotte.

Transfers will begin with an initial group of 60 federal detainees, with total transfer numbers subject to change day by day as space opens up in local facilities.