During the first half of their recent board meeting, the Charles County Commissioners digressed suddenly from their sedate discussion of budgeting for renovations to the County Detention Center into a more animated discussion of the county’s criminal justice system. 

Meetings of this Board of Commissioners are noted for their quiet decorum.  Board members are often so achingly polite and reticent that an observer might think they ‘tread on eggshells’ around each other.  Tuesday’s crime discussion, however, revealed quite a different side of each commissioner.  This side isn’t afraid to wade hip deep into the mire of a seemingly unsolvable social issue, confident that if they called the right people together a constructive, innovative solution could actually be developed.

“We can’t afford to keep building jails,” Commissioner Graves stated simply.   

Board Vice-President Edith Patterson pointed out to The Bay Net that the problem isn’t the building, it’s the numbers of people incarcerated that must be reduced.  She advocated early intervention in schools to break the cycle of crime in families and to prepare people to hold worthwhile employment. 

“Charles County is becoming more urban,” Commissioner Reuben Collins explained to The Bay Net.  Collins sees the need for county officials to re-evaluate our criminal justice system with this in mind.  His legal background has shown him that the county doesn’t need to “re-invent the wheel”, just to look around at other criminal justice systems, find what works and see if it would work here. 

Commissioner Gary Hodge told The Bay Net that “people become trapped” in situations which condone or require criminal activity and “won’t be able to break free of it unless the community gives them a chance with a decent job.”  Hodge quoted Charles County’s 2.9% unemployment rate as proof that job opportunities are here.  He also wants county inmates taught to manage their resources so illegal activities aren’t as tempting.

When pressed to name the first step toward evaluation of the County’s criminal justice system and a date when residents could expect to see it happen, the Board demonstrated that (over the last few weeks) it is learning how to preserve working relationships within the county.  “The first step is to speak with the Sheriff,” Cooper told The Bay Net.  President Cooper then asked Clerk Denise Ferguson to call the Sheriff’s Office and reschedule the retreat with Sheriff Rex Coffey which they indefinitely postponed in January.  Cooper expressed hope that the retreat could be scheduled in June.

The Sheriff’s Office announced that 46 arrests were made during a warrants sweep in the early hours of March 4th.   

Anna Dailey is the Bay Net's associate editor covering Charles County.  To contact her about this article or other community events comment below or email annadailey@thebaynet.com.