County jail's population drops slightly, but still is crowded

Cape Girardeau County Jail’s average number of inmates in 2015 — 225 — was more than the jail’s official capacity of 220.

So far in 2016, the jail has recorded an average number of inmates at or just below that capacity.

On Monday, there were 217 inmates in the jail. Capt. J.P. Mulcahy said the county jail had been averaging between 216 and 220 inmates in 2016.

Mulcahy credits this change to a more swiftly moving court system. He said he has been sending about six inmates a week to the Missouri Department of Corrections.

He said there were two cases last week that were resolved, either with prison time or a probation sentence, just two weeks after the inmates were charged.

“That doesn’t happen very often,” Mulcahy said. “We’ve gotten everything jibing again.”

Mulcahy said the average length of stay for an inmate in county jail is six months. One inmate has been in the jail awaiting trial since May 22, 2014.

Two more inmates have been in jail since February and April 2015.

“If I get rid of 20, I get 25,” Mulcahy said of the steady population at the jail. “It levels off after a little bit.”

Of the 217 inmates in the population Monday, 35 are being held for the U.S.

Marshals Service, and 33 have been sentenced to jail time.

The jail also is holding four inmates charged with first-degree murder in other counties who have had the venue for their cases changed to Cape Girardeau County.

Mulcahy said there were eight such inmates in the jail at the same time last year.

“More than anything, it’s because of the judges,” Mulcahy said of the reason murder cases are transferred to Cape Girardeau. “In the past, it was Judge (William) Syler who got all the murder trials, and now it’s (Judge Benjamin) Lewis.”

Mulcahy said more inmates have bonded out of jail recently.

He expects that number to continue to increase as technology used by bail-bond agents is improved.

Mulcahy said some local bail-bond agents expressed interest in a cellphone application that would allow them to track the movements of a defendant.

bkleine@semissourian.com

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