Wake County’s two jails have a combined capacity of 1,574, but the inmate population has recently exceeded that capacity, reaching roughly 1,800 to 1,900 people on some days.
The News & Observer asked the two candidates running for Wake County sheriff whether deputies should make greater use of citations instead of custodial arrests when legally permitted for low-level, nonviolent offenses, and whether the jail should expand diversion, mental-health, substance-use and reentry programs.
Here’s what they said.
Issue: Jail and alternatives
Willie Rowe, Democratic incumbent
Rowe is a 30-year veteran of the Wake County Sheriff’s Office and was elected sheriff in November 2022…