Officials agree that Bibb County Jail should be fixed. But who’s responsible?
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Bibb officials dispute jail responsibility amid calls for urgent facility reform.
- County has recently spent $80 million on jail upgrades, including medical care, security.
- Sheriff seeks expanded infirmary, inmate separation to address mental health care.
After viral posts on Facebook and protests regarding inhumane conditions of the Bibb County Jail, many questioned which county official is responsible for addressing key issues.
Various county officials say the answer depends on the issue needing to be solved at the jail, but they acknowledge that recent incidents show problems. The Bibb County Sheriff’s Office has investigated multiple overdoses among incarcerated people, as well as an assault that left one man severely burned on his face. Two inmates were charged with aggravated assault in that incident.
Additionally, there have been 11 deaths at the jail in the last five years, most of them caused by suicide, jail records show.
Bibb County Sheriff David Davis, District 3 Commissioner Stanley Stewart, and Mayor Lester Miller have clarified their roles in addressing key issues at the jail, and they’ve explained the next steps for the jail’s future, which is uncertain. Davis and Miller both have shared details about building a new jail. But Davis has made more recent comments about instead trying to make needed changes to the current facility.
These comments from local politicians come after the NAACP’s Macon and Georgia chapters toured the jail and pushed the U.S. Department of Justice in late May to investigate the conditions at the Bibb County Jail, following their report of cracked walls, broken plumbing, poor lighting and unsanitary conditions.
Last week, a protest outside the Bibb County Law Enforcement Center sought to hold public officials accountable for the alleged inhumane conditions, which put Davis, Stewart and Miller in the spotlight.
$80 million put toward the jail in recent years
As county officials explained to The Telegraph, while the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office runs the jail, the facility itself is owned by Macon-Bibb County. When the sheriff requests more funding for upgrades, maintenance and operations, the Macon-Bibb County Commission has to approve and provide that money.
“To that extent, the county has allocated nearly $80 million in the last four years for maintenance, facility upgrades, security personnel, ventilation, plumbing, sanitization, medical costs and mental health treatment (at the jail),” said Chris Floore, chief communications officer for the county. “Of that $80 million, more than $21 million was for medical and mental health services.”
If the sheriff wants more funding that is not covered in the budget, he can make a request to the commission for additional money. Floore said in the past three years, “an additional $4 million was allocated from the 2018 SPLOST on security upgrades, including new cell locks.”
When it comes to facility repairs and maintenance, “the sheriff can choose to have maintenance staff within the jail or contract with private contractors to address concerns,” Floore said.
Bibb County sheriff wants more treatment space
Davis’ biggest concern at the jail is how disruptive inmates can potentially influence those who suffer from mental health issues and cause further danger and harm in the facility. Another one of his concerns is the aging facility, which he explains was not designed from a ”humanistic standpoint,” due to the low ceilings and often faulty lighting.
Because of this, he has spoken with architects about ways to expand the facility and effectively separate the disruptive inmates from the susceptible ones, while also expanding the infirmary and upgrading some aspects of the facility.
“We have so many inmates that have mental health issues or substance abuse issues, that we really need more space to house those so that they can get adequate care,” Davis told The Telegraph.
The Bibb County Jail currently has a 12-bed infirmary that is for those inmates with physical and mental disabilities. Currently, inmates being monitored for their concerns are placed in other parts of the jail, “but it puts a burden on all the medical staff to have to go over the jail ... to check on these inmates,” Davis said.
He also said it’s a burden to the deputies, making sure the inmates being monitored aren’t being harmed by those who are disruptive.
“I think that points to a larger situation in society where we see so many people now who grow up without much structure, without discipline, in the sense of guidance and that sort of thing,” Davis said. “Then they come to jail and create issues while in here.”
Will Bibb County reduce number of people in jail?
Davis said he also will look into cases for people who have been in the jail longer than 90 days.
“One of the problems we’re starting to address is through probation,” said Davis. “An individual will be arrested and they’re kind of set in jail for a little while until they have a probation hearing. And at that time, they may have some of their time revoked, or at that time, they may have some sanctions placed on them.”
But about 90% of the inmates at the jail are charged with more serious felonies and are waiting for some type of adjudication, Davis said.
Davis also said bond and probation options aren’t left up to the sheriff’s office. That issue lies with the courts system. The Macon Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s office declined to comment on Davis’ concerns about incarcerated people being held for too long while awaiting court proceedings.
“In the meantime, you know, we’re going to keep working and doing what we can and keep the place maintained as well,” Davis said.
Mayor, commissioner spar over plans
Stewart, who has been active in the conversation on the future of the jail, echoed the sheriff’s comments on how it’s more likely the current jail will receive upgrades and expansions, rather than the county getting a new jail.
Stewart told The Telegraph he felt the mayor’s recent comments on the jail’s future were “disingenuous.”
Miller has made remarks about the jail’s condition on social media recently and in interviews with The Macon Newsroom, considering the possibility of a new jail at Seventh Street and Lower Poplar.
Miller said in the interview that in a walkthrough he and the commissioners did at the jail, there were issues with the construction of the facility and concerns about how incarcerated people behave when they’re there.
“I think you see a lot of trash that you could pick up will be right back there,” Miller said. “You see some clogged toilets where people put their shirts or their other towels there. Certainly, you can see where part of the jail is a little newer than the other part of the jail, and that’s something to take into consideration.”
But Miller keeps meeting with Davis, and the two have discussed short-term plans regarding overcrowding and long-term plans for the jail’s future, Floore said. Miller won’t announce plans to resolve jail issues to the public until solutions have been proposed and the public gets the chance to speak.
This story was originally published June 4, 2025 at 12:00 PM.
