Henrico Sheriff: 768 inmates diverted thanks to new efforts

Since January, tactics implemented by new Henrico Sheriff Alisa Gregory and her office have led to the diversion of 768 people from the jail, she told the Henrico Board of Supervisors during its Tuesday work session.

“This team has put together a diversion plan that has allowed us to bring out population down tremendously," Gregory said.

Of those 768 people, more than 100 were released on personal recognizance bonds (which require no deposit or collateral); 92 on secure bonds; 366 received court releases; the cases of 103 were accelerated on the court docket; and 84 were released as the result of EGT, or “extraordinary good time,” which allowed for a reduction in their sentences.

Varina Supervisor Tyrone Nelson inquired about the possible fate of those inmates, and Gregory said the majority of them would still be in jail if not for the diversion tactics. Their release dropped the county’s jail population to 1,155 at the end of last month – the lowest it had been since 2005.

It would be even lower – perhaps about 800 people in total, she said – but the Virginia Department of Corrections stopped accepting transfers in March of this year.

The Sheriff's Office recently received a $100,000, one-time grant to launch a medicated-assisted treatment program that will help with opioid addiction, Gregory said. Officials still are in the beginning phases of creating this program.

Gregory advocated for the board to find a way for the community to provide detox assistance to those in need. Since the pandemic began, she said, two different people have approached the jail asking for help detoxing from drugs. Gregory said emphatically that she doesn’t believe people should be going to jail to find this help.

Nelson pointed out that efforts were underway to provide this type of help to the community but said they had been stalled due to COVID-19.

“The Recovery Roundtable team, co-chaired by Tommy Branin and I, came forward with recommendations in 2019 that there needs to be a public facility in Henrico that addressed detoxing as well as other mental, psychological, and substance abuse issues,” Nelson told the Citizen after the meeting. “COVID-19 slowed us down somewhat, but a detoxing home for the county is needed as soon as possible.”

County seeks state funding for 10 transportation projects
Also at the work session, Todd Eure of the Henrico Department of Public Works presented the board with the department’s finalized plan to submit to the Virginia Department of Transportation for funding from the Smart Scale program, which allocates funds for transportation projects like highway and pedestrian improvements.

A total of 10 projects totaling an estimated $150 million made the list; they include:

• an extension of Magellan Parkway from Brook Road to the existing Magellan Parkway;
• West Broad Street improvements from I-64 to Pump Road;
• Longdale trail and intersection improvements from East Parham Road to Woodman Road;
• Nine Mile Road multimodal mobility and safety improvements from Laburnum Avenue to Orams Lane;
• Nine Mile Road roadway reconfiguration and pedestrian safety improvements from Newbridge Road to Lee Avenue;
• Brook Road and Hilliard Road reconfiguration, for Brook Road from Hilliard Road to Lakeside Avenue and for Hilliard Road from Brook Road to Lakeside Avenue;
• Parham Road interchange modification at I-64;
• Woodman Road Improvements from 500 feet south of Mountain Road to 300 feet south of Terry Drive;
• Springfield Road improvements from Staples Mill Road to Francistown Road;
• Staples Mill Road improvements from Townhouse Road to Waller Road.

On average, Eure said, localities receive only 10% of the funding they request, although historically Henrico has received an average of 16%, he said. The board approved the plan for submission at its public meeting later Tuesday night.

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