Four Lowcountry jails—Berkeley, Colleton, Charleston, and Dorchester counties—have failed South Carolina Department of Corrections (SCDC) inspections every year since 2022 due to overcrowding, understaffing, inadequate medical care, maintenance issues, and security violations like improper inmate separation.
Key Violations
Inspectors cited problems including insufficient toilets, showers, and sinks per inmate, fire code breaches, and health appraisal failures across all facilities. Overcrowding exacerbates these, with Berkeley County holding 468 inmates against a 291 capacity as of early January 2026, and Dorchester at 278 versus 266. Charleston (1,283/1,693) and Colleton (72/96) were under capacity recently but have faced past issues.
Staffing and Security Challenges
The jails collectively have 149 staff openings, fueling a cycle where overcrowding makes work unsafe, leading to more turnover. Security lapses include failing to separate inmates by gender, sentence status, or risk level, as noted in reports.
Inmate Impacts
Inmates report dire conditions, such as sleeping on floors (e.g., five in one Berkeley pod) and delayed medical care; Dorchester inmate William Tindal described it as a “nightmare” fearing death inside. Families of past inmates, like Jamal Sutherland’s mother, highlight unchanged systemic failures.
Responses and Outlook
Sheriffs acknowledge issues tied to overcrowding, with Dorchester studying expansions and funding, and Berkeley building a $50 million addition. SCDC issues letters post-failure but lacks fining power, resorting rarely to closures; next inspections occur in 2026. ACLU criticizes the lack of urgency despite known inhumane conditions.
