Crime & Safety
Norfolk Sheriff: Overcrowding a Problem at County Jail
The Norfolk County Correctional Center holds more than double what it was designed for.
Overcrowding in state jails is a growing problem, including limited quarters at the , Sheriff Michael Bellotti told the Boston Globe.
In small cells, the West Street jail now puts up to three inmates in a single cell, Bellotti said in a recent article.
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While the article left off specific numbers for the Norfolk prison, state projections are for the inmate population to grow from about 11,892 in 2011 to 14,753 by 2019, according to the Globe.
Bellotti's interested in expanding the jail, but he told the Globe that he believes it wouldn't receive much public support.
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"I don’t think a lot of people care," Bellotti said in his interview. "This is not really important to them, and I can understand why."
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