Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden narrowly won a third term in a four-way Democratic primary in March. With no Republican candidates on the ballot, the primary was effectively the general election.
In one of his first moves after the election, McFadden named one of his challengers, Ricky Robbins, as his chief deputy.
Despite McFadden overcoming challengers for his role, day-to-day challenges continue to stack up — including jail overcrowding, resident deaths, cooperation with immigration enforcement officials, addressing the need for a juvenile detention facility, and lawsuits and investigations into how the Sheriff runs the county jail.
Last year, as a result of the stabbing of Iryna Zarutska, legislators quickly passed Iryna’s law to overhaul parts of the criminal justice process, including ending cash bail for violent offenders. Since then, counties across North Carolina have reported jail overcrowding, which they say strains employee workloads and financial costs.
Data gathered by WCNC Charlotte reports an increase in jail population by 30% since the law took effect last December, with inmates staying several days longer.
Although the number fluctuates daily, the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office reported Aug. 31 that the jail population was 431 people above capacity: 2,222 people were being held in a facility designed for 1,791.
On this episode, we sit down with Sheriff McFadden to discuss the state of the Mecklenburg County jail, the impact of Iryna’s law and the challenges facing his office.
GUESTS:
Garry McFadden, Mecklenburg County Sheriff
