by Charles E. Richardson
Did you know there is another city that sits inside the downtown area of Macon-Bibb County? The Bibb County Law Enforcement Center Sheriff’s Office, otherwise known as “The Jail,” has sat at this location on Oglethorpe Street for almost 50 years and has more problems than other structures of similar age. Why? “The average house does not get used 24/7/365 like a jail does” said Bibb County Sheriff David Davis. According to the new jail administrator Col. Samuel Jines, “Jails age three to one.” For every year of life of a normal building, a jail ages three years. Sheriff Davis said it makes the jail “138 years old.”
Where did he come from?
Col. Jines, one of only five certified jail administrators in Georgia, came to Bibb County from Nashville, Tennessee with a decade of experience in jail administration. And he came here not just to solve the jail’s overcrowding issue. The problems at the jail are well documented. There have been several deaths by suicide, inmates have died while in custody and several inmates have been injured in altercations. In 2023, four inmates escaped leading to a successful manhunt to recapture them.
While some of the problems can be attributed to an aging facility and under staffing, there is much that can be done according to Col. Jines. “We’ve ordered some beds; we are expanding one of our facilities in size to address our overcrowding issue. We are looking at how we can utilize our housing in a more appropriate way so that a 100 inmate over capacity isn’t as burdensome as it is now.” On May 18,2026, the jail housed 1,080 inmates, that’s 114 inmates over its 966-inmate capacity.
Right time, right place
Col. Jines hire was just at the right time as a jail expansion is about to get under way. One change Col. Jines suggested in the design was to make the cells two-bed cells instead of one-bed cells. No bunk beds, but two beds on the same level. The new cells will be equipped with shower facilities which will allow a better utilization of staff. He’s also instituted a better method of categorization — separate housing for violent offenders and keeping rival gangs members separated.
What’s the job?
Col. Jines sees his job as having several facets. “I house people the community has deemed not safe to be in the community at this time. And I have the role to house them in the safest way possible. I have the role of ensuring my staff is in the safest environment possible, and I also have the role of rehabilitation.” Col. Jines has already started several programs to aid in rehabilitation, from Alcoholics Anonymous to a soon the be restarted GED program. “Ninety-eight to ninety nine percent of those incarcerated in our jail or in prison will be released,” Col. Jines said. “We have to keep in mind that they will be back in our community.”
Why an outside hire?
There is always background noise when someone is hired from out of the area, but Sheriff Davis said that’s one Col. Jines attractions. “Jail administrators are a very scarce commodity,” Sheriff Davis said. “Once a sheriff gets one they hold on to them. We had a number of people apply, some local, but Col. Jines is not from here. He doesn’t know anybody. He gets to come in and get a completely fresh eye on the situation. Those fresh eyes have given us a new perspective. For all my more than 40 years here, we’ve almost been incestuous of how we handle the jail administrator’s position. The last time we had a deputy with the certifications equal to Col. Jines was Chief Deputy Russell Nelson who retired several years ago.”
Jail expansion not a panacea
The Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) will fund the expansion that’s projected to cost up to $31 million. SPLOST Director Clay Murphey said, “This is a temporary fix for a long-term solution. So, the idea was, what can we do to this expansion that allowed it to be used going forward in a potential new jail?” Sheriff Davis agrees, “I’ve said it and going to keep saying it until a new jail is built: We need a new jail, and this expansion is just kicking the can down the road.”
In the meantime
Sheriff Davis admits that the jail has problems. “We’ve had some things happen but now I think we are on the road to alleviate some of those issues. I know with Col. Jines being on staff, I think we are turning the corner in some ways. We will have some growing pains. There are two things jail people don’t like like, change and the way things are, but for the most part Col. Jines has been well received.”
