Mobile County Metro Jail yields hefty overcrowding numbers as busiest months reach their peak

MOBILE, Ala. ( WKRG ) — Recent numbers show overcrowding by the hundreds at Mobile County Metro Jail, and according to the sheriff, there’s always room for more.

“The first two things I do when I wake up in the morning is I read my verse of the day, and then I open up my notification for how many people we have in jail,” Burch said.

On Wednesday, July 11, Metro Jail recorded 1,521 inmates, which is 334 inmates more than the jail’s capacity of 1,187.

Burch said some of the overcrowding could be accredited to a break in the court system.

“The court takes a short break during the summer, so you have a lot of people sitting there awaiting trial,” Burch said.

As of July 12, Metro Jail counted 109 murder inmates awaiting trial. Burch said 15 inmates are awaiting trials for capital murder.

To combat overcrowding, Burch said the jail has resorted to moving inmates around to see how many inmates they can safely fit in one cell. However, Burch said he will always make room for violent offenders.

“As long as they’re violent, I’ll stack ’em and pack ’em as much as I have to,” Mobile County Sheriff Paul Burch said.

Burch said the jail fit up to 1,629 inmates last summer.

However, the overcrowding has adverse effects. Metro Jail cannot hold federal inmates due to overcrowding. According to Burch, this means inmates going to the Federal Courthouse in Mobile must be transported from Baldwin or Escambia Counties.

“Because of the overcrowding, we can’t meet the standards of the Marshals,” Burch said.

Aniah’s Law, which passed through the Alabama Legislature in Nov. 2022, was drafted to keep some violent offenders in jail while they await their trial. Metro Jail is currently holding 11 inmates on Aniah’s Law, according to the Mobile County District Attorney’s Office.

“The jail is pretty much constantly over capacity,” Mobile County District Attorney Keith Blackwood said.

Meanwhile, Blackwood said bond seems to be some sort of saving grace to relieve overcrowding issues.

Bond is a constitutional right, but that doesn’t mean everyone can receive it.

Blackwood said capital murder suspects and those who are arrested while already out on bond or probation are denied the right to bond.

“The case law says you forfeited your right to a bond if you’re already on bond or probation and you commit a new offense,” Blackwood said.

A bond is an incentive for a defendant to show up to court. If a defendant fails to show up to court, bondsmen and bounty hunters like Chris McNeil, take matters into their own hands.

“I’ve been to New York, and I’ve been to California and everywhere in between to bring people back. The system works,” McNeil, Owner of Metro Bonding and the President of the Alabama Bail Bonds Association, said.

With nearly 30 years in the bonds business, McNeil acknowledged that jails would continue to be full as long as there are reoffenders.

“As in any business, we have some repeat customers,” McNeil said.

Burch said he will continue to advocate for a new jail or an extension to the current jail.

Burch said the jail saw its last extension “about a year and a half ago.”

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