Published: March 01, 2008 08:33 pm      

High jail fees raise crime questions

TAZEWELL, Va. — Tazewell County officials are questioning why they are leading Southwest Virginia when it comes to crime and the number of inmates incarcerated in the regional jail system.

During a strategic planning session last week, members of the county Board of Supervisors questioned why the county’s regional jail fees now top close to $600,000. The county also averages 315 daily inmates in the regional jail system, according to County Administrator Jim Spencer.

“I would like for the county or someone to come in and see what is going on,” Spencer said. “Is the crime in our county two to three times worse than other counties? Why is that? What can we do?”

Bill Rasnick, board chairman, said the county joined the regional system several years ago due to overcrowding at the Tazewell County Jail.

“The day they opened the new jail over here it was overcrowded,” Rasnick said. “So we had no choice but to go to the regional jail. But we’ve still got to look at ways to save money. The costs are horrendous.”

Rasnick said Tazewell County is currently housing more inmates in the regional jail system than most Southwest Virginia counties.

“There is a problem,” Rasnick said. “We’ve got twice as many inmates as Wise County.”

However, Rasnick said Wise and Tazwell counties have a similar population and similar demographics.

Rasnick said the county needs to look at what can be done to save money in terms of the regional jail system.

Last week’s meeting also served as a planning session for future projects and goals.

Spencer said other goals or objectives for the board in the coming months and years is to aggressively seek opportunities to enhance and improve the quality of life of Tazewell County citizens; to seek or continue to seek alternative funding sources; to develop a regional industrial park for the western end of Tazewell County; to improve and maintain the county’s existing infrastructure; to create local talent through workshops and other educational opportunities; to continue efforts for new job creation and existing job retention; to promote and to develop e-government as a way to make local government more user friendly and accessible through the Internet.

Spencer said the creation of a new industrial park in the Richlands or Claypool Hill area is a priority for the board.

“There are businesses that don’t fit into the Bluestone,” Spencer said. “What are we going to do with them. We don’t want to lose them.”

While the proposed 680-acre Bluestone Regional Business and Technology Park project near Bluefield, Va. seeks to entice high-paying technology-based jobs to the region, other more traditional manufacturing based businesses could be located at a new industrial site, Spencer said.

– Contact Charles Owens at cowens@bdtonline.com