Camden county has jail overcrowding problem

On any given day the Camden County jail has about 300 inmates more than its official capacity.

Camden Mayor Dana Redd says she was not aware there was an issue at the facility.

“I haven’t seen the [news] report on the overcrowding in the county jail, but I’m always concerned about public safety and how we can form collaborations to make places like Camden a safer city,” Redd said.

Camden County jail warden David Owens says his staff is doing several things to bring the population down, including using video conferencing to speed up the bail hearings.

“Our experience is that if we get individuals with low and reasonable bail in front of the court nine times out of ten they get out discharged on their own bail or their own recognizance,” he said. 

Owens says they are setting up a temporary facility at the Camden police headquarters. He says it should be up and running soon.