Commissioners approve motion regarding state-required electronic monitoring for inmates

TOP PHOTO: General Sessions Judge Bill Jones addressed County Commissioners on Monday evening regarding a state requirement for electronic monitoring as a condition on inmate release from bond from jail and the need for the county to enter into a contract agreement with a GPS monitoring company.

By Charlotte Underwood

JACKSBORO, TN (WLAF)- A motion for the “County’s Financial Management Committee to take appropriate action on the new requirements for electronic monitoring as a condition on inmate release from bond from jail” was approved at Monday’s county commission meeting.

The issue took up quite a bit of discussion Monday evening despite not being on the agenda initially.

Jail committee chair commissioner Beverly Hall asked for a suspension of the rules so the issue could be discussed, but that failed the first time with Commissioner Zachary Marlow voting no on the suspension of rules, which would allow the topic to be discussed as it was not on the agenda.

The issue “needs immediate attention”, according to County Attorney Joe Coker, who recommended the commission listen to General Sessions Judge Bill Jones regarding a requirement passed by the state that went into effect in the summer.

“There’s a matter that is related to the jail that Judge Jones really needs to bring to the attention of the commission. If you’re not going to vote on it, he really does need to explain to the commission a situation that needs some attention that I understand is going to need to go to the FMS committee,” Coker said.

Jones addressed commissioners and explained the monitoring system that is now required by the state and related to aggravated domestic assault offenders.

“This is not something the court is asking for, I am not asking the commission for anything, but I believe Mr. Coker is wanting me to explain that the legislature passed a statute that went into effect July 1 of this year that in aggravated domestic assault cases that a GPS monitoring is required prior to release as a condition of bail; and the statute they have written is lengthy and it is poorly written and it requires the county to enter into a contract with a GPS monitoring company that does that and there are certain requirements for that company before they are approved. All 95 counties in the state are required to enter a contract, all I am required to do is make it a condition of bond, how that gets done is on, I guess the county and the defendant must pay for it,” Jones said.

He said all counties were dealing with this and that Anderson County and Knox County had signed contracts.

Commission Chair Johnny Bruce asked if it was a pressing matter or if it could wait till next month.

“There are cases, a few a week that this is applying to, so we do have people who are in custody, who without this are unable to make bond until the county addresses this issue and will be stuck in jail,” Jones replied.

“This will have to go out to the FMS committee for a bid process won’t it Joe?” Commissioner Rusty Orick asked.

“That’s the understanding I have from the finance director,” Coker said

“So, it’s going to take a while to get through at that step anyway, unless we suspend the rules and that didn’t happen, then I guess somebody could bring it back to the floor and try it again, but otherwise that will probably put it further than a month out,” Orick said.

The county attorney cautioned commissioners “to understand what the judge said.”

“I want you to understand what the judge said here and what that might mean in terms of liability, I don’t want to go into that much further but I think you understand what that could mean, but from what I understand it will have to go through the financial management committee first, but I advise to you that this needs attention sooner rather than later and as soon as you can do it,” Coker said.

Orick asked Bruce if he could bring it back to the table for the rules to be suspended so the issue could be discussed freely and voted on if necessary. The second time around, the suspension of the rules passed.

“Now we can vote on the matter at hand,” Bruce said.

It still had to go through the financial management committee, the commission tonight can vote a motion of intent that says you want to move forward with this, but it will still have to come back to the commission,” Coker said.

The full motion approved is for the County’s Financial Management Committee to “take appropriate action on the new requirements for electronic monitoring as a condition on inmate release from bond from jail, and to refer it back to the county commission as soon as possible” and that the commission “supports it.”

A Financial Management Committee meeting will be called “as soon as possible” for the issue to go through in order to enter into a contract agreement with a GPS monitoring company. (WLAF NEWS PUBLISHED-10/22/2024-6AM)

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