About 60 federal detainees will move to Mecklenburg County’s two detention centers under a new agreement, even as the county still deals with jail overcrowding.
Most of the federal detainees will go to Jail North, which reopened in September to ease overcrowding at Jail Central in uptown Charlotte.
Sheriff Garry McFadden said Friday that people at the uptown jail are still sleeping on stackable bunks. Asked whether bringing in federal detainees could worsen crowding, he acknowledged concerns as local law enforcement agencies continue making arrests.
“I’m always concerned, because we cannot control crime,” McFadden said.
McFadden said opening additional space at Jail North requires more staffing and funding. Federal payments to house detainees under the agreement with the U.S. Marshals Service will help operate the facility.
Chief Deputy U.S. Marshal Chris Edge said federal detainees can be moved elsewhere if the county needs additional space or faces staffing shortages.
“We continuously seek additional bed space with other sheriff’s departments,” Edge said. “That way we can flex where those prisoners may go.”
Mecklenburg County stopped housing federal detainees in 2023 after its previous arrangement with the Marshals Service ended. Since then, federal detainees with cases in the Western District of North Carolina have been housed in facilities across several states, some as far as six hours away.
Officials say bringing detainees back will improve access to attorneys and families while reducing transportation costs and making court appearances easier to schedule.