More State Inmates Coming To Gwinnett

LAWRENCEVILLE, GA — Gwinnett County's inmate population will soon be on the rise, as the county accepts more state inmates at county facilities.

The Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners has agreed to increase the number of state inmates housed at the county's detention center from 158 to 222, effective May 1. The vote was to amend the county's contract with the Georgia Department of Corrections.

County officials say the additional state-sentenced prisoners will bolster prison work crews that perform various jobs throughout the county.

Gwinnett typically houses about 100 county-sentenced inmates and has the capacity to house up to 512. The number of county inmates sentenced to the work camp has been on the decline since 2009, county leaders say, which has created room to accommodate more state prisoners.

The state pays the county $20 per inmate per day.

"Requests for work details to meet the needs of the community is constant and is increasing, so the timing of the agreement is a blessing," county Warden Darrell Johnson said.

The Gwinnett County Department of Corrections decreases the operating costs associated with lawn and grounds maintenance at county parks, fire stations, the Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center, and other government owned properties.

In addition, inmate details pick up roadside litter, cover up gang-related graffiti, and serve multiple municipalities and community improvement districts within the county.

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