County commissioners say the issue of whether Beaufort County needs a new jail will not be reopened because of a new report by Jail Administrator Lt. Kathryn Bryan.

Bryan, who was hired in July, was asked to conduct the jail assessment by Beaufort County Sheriff Ernie Coleman. The report was sent to county officials last week.

“As the new Jail Administrator, it is my responsibility to conduct an assessment of the detention center to ensure that it is functioning at its best. The purpose of this is to inform you of any unsafe conditions or practices; noncompliance with current laws, administrative codes and/or best practices; and general working conditions for my employees and vendors. The impact from these circumstances varies from morale issues to safety/health issues, to exposure to liability. When possible, I have included the relevant references,” Bryan wrote.

Bryan then points out issues requiring a closer look.

Under supervision, the lack of an intercom system and the fact that inmates do not have direct supervision means that outside of detention officers making rounds twice an hour, inmates must wave a towel in front of security cameras in order to get officers’ attention when there is a problem. That one officer is responsible for answering the phone and observing security monitors indicates inadequate staffing, according to the report.

The number of people that come and go in the main lobby of the detention center is a security concern, the report said. General statute calls for security of inmates from the time of entry to release, as well as no unauthorized contact between inmates and others.

“All new arrestees are processed here, inmates going to or coming from court use this area to be handcuffed/shackled, civilians come here to be fingerprinted and those here for visitation pass through, including children. Given this traffic, it is impossible to comply with this requirement at all times,” Bryan wrote.

According to the report, physical layout and space constraints prevent the jail from being in compliance with the state: there are two cell blocks that do not receive any natural light; the jail has no storage space; the medical unit only has a washbasin and no lavatory; and there is no secure conference room, nor is there room for one.

Other concerns listed in the report include: no room for the offices of the jail administrator and chief detention officer in the facility, causing issues with communication, command and safety; the absence of a secure sally port means a risk of altercation, passage of contraband and escape; detention officers, arresting officers, the staff nurse and visiting public share a single bathroom; in the event of contamination, there are no staff showers and officers are sent home to clean up, possibly leaving the facility short-staffed; there is inadequate housing to keep inmates away from the general population, including those in need of medical isolation, with disciplinary issues or would otherwise by considered vulnerable in the general population; many blind spots in the facility where the control room officer is unable to see inmates, posing a danger to officers, inmates and medical staff; and no safe way to evacuate the facility in case of emergency, including no outside containment area for inmates.

Nothing in the report is news to commissioners, according to Beaufort County Commissioner Hood Richardson.

Richardson said he advocates fixing the jail’s problems, but said he does not believe the jail is understaffed and opposes a sally port for entry and exit of arresting officers and inmates because it would create less transparency in the process.

“A sally port — if you’re going to have some bad activity — a sally port is a great way to keep the public away from it,” Richardson said. “You put a sally port in there, it’s going to get things further and further away from the public.”

“It doesn’t reopen the jail issue. Some people may think it is, but it’s not,” said Board of Commissioners Chairman Gary Brinn. “When a new person comes in and views what she’s working in, these things that she noted stick out like a sore thumb.”

Brinn said the commissioners have worked with the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services and county Public Works Director Christina Smith to bring the jail into compliance over the past several years. In 2012, state inspectors demanded the county remove protective Plexiglass panes attached to the outside of cells and replace them with steel mesh because the Plexiglass did not meet state fire standards. In June of 2013, the jail was closed down due to electrical problems and inmates were housed at facilities across eastern North Carolina at a cost of more than $600,000 to Beaufort County taxpayers. More recently, the county has approved a new plumbing system due to ongoing problems.

According to Brinn, there is one structural issue that poses a real difficulty because the jail is situated in the basement of the Beaufort County Courthouse.

“The state mandates that you should have natural sunlight. … This is one of the things we’re going to have to address. Every time DHHS comes down and inspects the jail, the topic of natural sunlight comes up,” Brinn said. “We can’t just snap our fingers and make sunlight appear in those jail cells.”

Brinn said a new jail is not in the near future for the county, but eventually will have to be considered.

“In our economic environment right now, there’s no possible way that Beaufort County can afford to build a new jail. Down the road, years down the road, I think — unless someone comes in and tells us we have to build a jail — I think that something may have to be done,” Brinn said.

In a press release, Coleman said the report is simply an update to commissioners about the state of county detention center.

“This release of information is not to be taken as my position for or against a new facility,” Coleman wrote in the release. “It is my responsibility as Sheriff to run the jail and to make sure that the jail is being run in a safe and effective manner while complying with local, state and federal laws. It is the responsibility of the board of county commissioners to build and/or maintain the jail using information provided by the sheriff and other sources to help with their decision making.“