As Clarke County Jail’s inmate population continues to rise, the sheriff’s office is facing a widening gap between the number of inmates and deputies on staff.
Why It’s Newsworthy: Hiring more deputies is essential for Clarke County Jail, both to manage the growing inmate population and to ensure safety inside the facility.Four inmates have died in custody since April 2025.
In a press conference held in July, Clarke County Sheriff John Q. Williams attributed some of the inmate deaths to the jail’s staffing shortage.
“It is very challenging as of lately to keep the numbers where they need to be,” said Clarke County Chief Jail Officer Frank Woods. “If there are only three of us on staff, and we’re supposed to do a security check in each housing unit and lay eyes on all those human beings, it means, instead of me being in one unit walking around, it means that you and I might be watching six units together.”
The Clarke County Jail can house over 800 people. Williams said the jail should have 24 staff members per shift, excluding the nursing staff, but currently they are lucky if they can get 12.
When deputies have to travel to take an inmate to the hospital or an employee has to call out sick, some nights have a minimum of six people on staff, including civilian volunteers.
On July 1, the Athens-Clarke County Commission approved salary equity adjustments of $1.3 million in additional funding for the Sheriff’s Office, the Corrections Department and Probation. According to Williams, approximately $750,000 was allocated to the sheriff’s office to increase deputies’ salaries, as requested by the sheriff.
There are two main distinctions between employees working in the jail: detention officers and deputies.
Deputies, who are sworn and certified peace officers, have full arrest powers and may transport inmates. Detention officers, by contrast, are limited to responsibilities inside the jail and cannot make arrests or transport inmates.
“What we’ve not had a problem hiring is detention officers,” said Williams. “But, we’re only slotted for so many of those. We can’t run solely with detention officers because if somebody has to go to the hospital because they’re sick, we have to have a certified peace officer go with them.”
Williams and his recruitment team are actively searching for certified deputies. New hires without certification must start as detention officers and work their way up.
Athens-Clarke County ranks fifth lowest in average deputy sheriff salary among 12 Georgia counties with populations between 100,000 and 200,000. While the salary remains average compared to other counties in Georgia, Williams stresses the need for a more competitive salary to entice people to move to Clarke County to work.
“That’s where I think the biggest issue with the pay came into effect, because the other folks at other agencies are already making more than what we are,” Williams said. “We cannot lure somebody from Gwinnett County or DeKalb County or even some of the places in South Georgia, because they’re already making significant money, and we cannot entice them this way just for the work.”
Despite the jail’s ongoing challenges, Woods said the recruitment team continues working to bring in deputies from other counties, even offering a $10,000 hiring bonus.
“It’s not like we’re not trying,” said Woods. “I think the numbers are starting to change.”
Blake Daniel is a senior majoring in journalism at the University of Georgia.
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