Chas. Co. Sheriff looking to address healthcare needs of homeless inmates

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) – Charleston County Sheriff Kristin Graziano is advocating for change to get homeless inmates adequate healthcare outside of jail, one week after an inmate death.

“This should not have happened. He should not have been in this facility. And I can say that about almost 200 people that we have right now,” Sheriff Graziano told News 2 on Thursday.

The sheriff was referring to Lorenzo Trapp, the inmate at the Al Cannon Detention Center who died on July 3 ^rd . She said the 62-year-old had been in and out of the jail multiple times through compassionate release and suffered from severe dementia.

It is also believed by staff that he was homeless.

“This is not uncommon. This is what we’re seeing more and more. We are the only facility, we’re the only organization that can’t say ‘no, you can’t come in here,’” explained Sheriff Graziano.

According to the sheriff, often, homeless people experiencing mental health issues, alcoholism, and substance abuse disorder are brought to the jail on minor charges and small bonds they aren’t able to pay.

“If it were us, we would be given a ticket and sent on our way. There’s a double standard. Because these people cannot go anywhere else, the answer, the only answer, is to bring them to jail,” Sheriff Graziano shared.

There are almost 200 homeless people at the Al Cannon Detention Center, which CCSO said equates to 25,000 taxpayer dollars per day.

The sheriff said while they do have resources within the jail, they aren’t equipped to offer specialized treatment often required for these cases.

“We need comprehensive solutions that are permanent. Not temporary. We’re throwing good money right now about $25,000 a day just for that unsheltered population on bad ideas,” she added.

Sheriff Graziano said it is going to take cooperation from agencies throughout the Tri-County area to get the problem fixed. Part of that means offering more support to groups who specialize in that type of work.

“There’s some really good advocates in the community that do the work. The problem is they’re not funded. So, we’re trying to help them find funding solutions,” she said.

According to the sheriff, they are looking at a location in Dorchester County to create a shelter-type facility. She also said CCSO is getting ready to launch its restoration unit which will be available for the most severe mental health needs.

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