CHARLOTTE — More than 200 inmates have been moved to Mecklenburg County Jail North in the first phase of reopening.
The north Charlotte detention facility used to house juvenile inmates.
[ READ MORE: Mecklenburg County transfers 209 inmates to Jail North to ease overcrowding ]
It houses adults now because of overcrowding in the Uptown.
Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden said he’s still juggling staffing issues at both locations, and this first phase is not enough to make inmates comfortable at the main jail.
“Today is a big celebration on one hand, but still sad on another because we still have over 200 people sleeping on what most consider as the floor,” McFadden said.
The sheriff said priority goes to people who have shown progress in turning their lives around.
This was Phase 1. Phase 2 of Jail North is expected to open mid-to-late November, with a third phase planned for next summer.
McFadden said the central jail is still 484 people over capacity and space isn’t the only problem.
“We robbed Peter to pay Paul. We do not have adequate staffing to run both facilities, but we can’t wait any longer and had to open this on an emergency basis,” he said.
At Detention Center Central, McFadden said that nearly 200 people are still sleeping on temporary beds.
The sheriff also said some shifts need about 80 staff members, but they often have closer to 50. That staffing gap is limiting how much relief the second facility can provide.
Seventy-two of the people at Detention Center Central are supposed to be in a state prison, but they aren’t because of an ongoing backlog.
McFadden said he hopes to house some juvenile inmates there in a separate wing, but that would take more resources.