Hamilton County, Tennessee
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A pretrial detainee can wait 4-14 days between magistrate’s bond setting to initial appearance in General Session’s Court.
Four days is the typical wait, however it could be up to 14 days pursuant to law. 1
After initial court appearance, a detainee or defendant can wait 8-10 weeks for a Grand Jury decision
or up to 1-2 years on average for jury trial or disposition of the case(s). 2
County taxpayers pay $54,000 daily for a total $20 million annually on average to house pretrial inmates,
people who have not been convicted of any crime and presumed innocent.3
This number excludes federal inmates awaiting trial in our jails.
County taxpayers pay $64/day for each inmate for a total 35 million annually for all inmates.4
The projected cost of the initial Silverdale expansion is $20-30 million.5
"The move marks the first step in phasing out the downtown Chattanooga jail . . . including the possibility of moving some court systems along with the inmates to the Silverdale area in order to reduce transportation costs."6
Each month, 500 pretrial defendants are appointed by judges to the Public Defender’s Office on average, because they were found indigent.
Sometimes indigent defendants make bond by third parties.
About 50% of these appointees are charged with misdemeanor crimes.7
There are on average 860 pretrial detainees housed in Hamilton County Jail and Silverdale Detention Facility each month.
This number excludes federal inmates awaiting trial in our jails.
Pretrial detainees represent 56% of the total county inmate population.
and of those 860 pretrial detainees, a monthly average of 390 pretrial detainees are charged with misdemeanor crimes.8
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There are on average 173 pretrial FEMALE detainees each month housed in Silverdale Detention Facility.
This number excludes federal inmates awaiting trial in our jails.
Pretrial female detainees represent 58% of the total female inmate population.
and of those 173 pretrial female detainees, a monthly average of 100 females are charged with misdemeanor crimes.8.
In 2015, Hamilton County had 28th highest pretrial incarceration rate of the 258 counties in the U.S. with populations over 100,000.9
Sources: Jump to top of statistics
1. Mike Little, Deputy Public Defender, Hamilton County
2. M. Little
3. Calculated using $97k of the "$94,000-$97,000/day" cost as stated by Sheriff Hammond and 2018 TN Jail Summary Reports.
4. Calculated using $97k of the "$94,000-$97,000/day" cost as stated by Sheriff Hammond and 2018 TN Jail Summary Reports.
5. Commission votes to put Hamilton County Sheriff's Office in charge of Silverdale. Chattanooga Times Free Press, 9/7/17.
6. Hamilton County Commission Hears Presentation on Future Jail Needs". Chattanooga Times Free Press. 4/31/17.
7. M. Little
8. Calculated using 2018 TN Jail Summary Reports.
9. Calculated using dataset from the Vera Institute of Justice.
About *65% (482,000) of the confined inmates were awaiting court action on a current charge.
* in county and local jails, mid-year 2017
Source: Jail Inmates in 2017. Zeng, Bureau of Justice Statistics, April 2019