David Gabriel
Oglethorpe County Sheriff David Gabriel said he plans to maintain the current system of housing Oglethorpe County inmates in the Wilkes and Hart County jails as long as it makes financial sense.
The Oglethorpe County Jail stopped housing inmates in 2022, and in the years since, inmates have been housed in a number of nearby counties, including Oconee, Greene, Wilkes and Hart.
In 2022, Gabriel said Oglethorpe County saved approximately $400,000 a year on labor and services in the county jail by housing inmates in other counties. That savings has risen to approximately $600,000 a year in 2024, due to inflation.
“After recent inflation, it’s really saved money,” Gabriel said. “Made a huge difference. Labor costs are one of your highest costs in the jail. You’re still accomplishing the same thing, but you’re saving a lot of money.”
Additional savings come from not having to provide health care or food to an inmate population.
Gabriel said Oglethorpe County has an average of about 32 inmates between Wilkes and Hart counties. When someone is arrested in Oglethorpe County, they go through the county jail for booking, but after 48 hours, they typically either bond out or are sent to another facility.
Hart County opened the doors to its new jail facility in May.
Wilkes County Sheriff Mark A. Moore has been working for the Wilkes County Sheriff’s Office for over 40 years and said his jail has room to house inmates from a number of counties.
“Even back in the ’70s, we were holding inmates for Clarke County, numerous other counties over the years,” he said. “Housing inmates for other counties is common for sheriffs.”
As for future plans for the Oglethorpe County Jail, Gabriel said that even though he no longer houses inmates, most of the jail building is still in use.
The sheriff’s office uses the jail for administration, investigations, patrol, evidence and more. Out of 70-plus rooms in the building, just three are no longer in use due to the decision to move inmates across county lines, Gabriel said.
And at any point, he said he would revert to housing inmates in the county if that’s what ended up being best for the county’s finances.
“It’s a year-to-year decision,” Gabriel said. “If it ever gets to the point where it’s cheaper to do it ourselves, we’ll start doing it ourselves. In the meantime, we try to maintain the building.”
Alex Perri is a master’s student in journalism at the University of Georgia. She previously worked at the Transylvania Times in Brevard, North Carolina.