ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) — More than 1,100 people already sentenced to state prison remained in North Carolina county jails waiting for a transfer as of Aug. 7, including 33 in Buncombe County, according to new data from the N.C. Department of Adult Correction.
The statewide backlog of 1,154 people comes as county jails, state prisons and psychiatric hospitals are all dealing with different versions of the same problem: beds exist, but staffing shortages can keep them from being used.
In Buncombe County, the detention facility counted 548 people on July 26 despite having 524 physical beds. Jail administrators said its operational capacity is closer to 470 to 480 people…