CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Mecklenburg County will start holding federal detainees again for the first time since 2023, with roughly 60 people moving in right away under a new deal between the county sheriff and the U.S. Marshals Service announced Friday in Charlotte.
Most of them are headed to Jail North, which the county put back into service in September to ease crowding at the main uptown lockup, Jail Central. According to Sheriff Garry McFadden, the north facility has a little more than 700 beds counting juvenile space, 651 of them for adults.
Right now, 350 people facing federal charges in North Carolina’s western federal court district are held out of state, in facilities in Georgia, Virginia, South Carolina and Kentucky. Some of those sites sit as much as six hours away. More could be moved back later as logistics allow, said Chief Deputy U.S. Marshal Chris Edge.
U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson framed the move as a win for local taxpayers. Jails are paid a daily rate per federal prisoner, so that money would now stay in Mecklenburg, and the government would spend less shuttling marshals and defense lawyers across state lines. Officials also said keeping detainees close makes it easier to see attorneys and family and to schedule court dates.
Crowding is still a worry. McFadden said some people held uptown are still bedding down on stackable bunks, and that keeping more space open at Jail North takes more staff and money. The federal payments will help run the building, and Edge said the marshals can shift detainees to other jails if the county needs the beds back or runs short on staff.
McFadden added that the agreement does not end talks about housing juveniles in the county again, though he put that effort at about $13 million.
Section: More Charlotte NC crime news
Filed under: Charlotte NC Public Safety News
