Recent guard arrests, detainee overdoses highlight contraband issues at Alvin S. Glenn

Two guards were arrested at Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center Aug. 23 following a police search of employee vehicles.

Contraband was found in both vehicles, and one guard, 37-year-old Bridgett Williams, was charged with manufacturing/distribution of methamphetamine.

That comes amidst a recent string of incidents at the detention center involving drugs, with three deaths since July from overdoses.

“There’s definitely a connection to be made if we’re arresting guards for having drugs in their vehicles on property (when) they’re not supposed to,” Richland County Deputy Allie Salrin told the Carolina News & Reporter. “Someone has to be bringing it in. Either that’s a prisoner or a guard. They’re the only people there.”

With staffing and operations under the management of county government rather than the sheriff’s department, many correctional officers don’t have a policing background. Richland County Administrator Leonardo Brown said the county has taken efforts to mitigate contraband entering the facility, in conjunction with the Department of Corrections.

“We’re trying to bring in some more tools to try to deal with things that we might not normally think about,” Brown said. “For example, we understand that individuals can lace mail (with drugs). And so we’re trying to find the ability to address things like that.”

This year alone, there have been over a dozen arrests of jail employees involving contraband. The second August arrest of 50-year-old Ashanti Rembert resulted in additional charges of possession of other controlled substances. Both Rembert and Williams have been released on bond.

Brown said the county is taking action against any correctional officers who face contraband-related charges.

“When we find individuals that have contraband, we say, ‘Hey, you’re not gonna be working for Richland County.’ And then we allow the law enforcement professionals, which is the sheriff’s department, to determine whether or not their actions are criminal,” Brown said. “And if they’re criminal, then, yes, I want to press charges. And I want those individuals to be an example of what happens when you make poor choices that potentially affect the safety and security of the facility and those people that are detained there.”

The jail has faced issues and criticism reaching back years, as it’s under a federal civil rights investigation for inhumane conditions. 

One local nonprofit, Disability Rights South Carolina, has partnered with 15 anonymous detainees to file a lawsuit against Richland County based on conditions at the jail, which they’ve been monitoring for more than three years. Lead attorney Kathy Martin said she has noticed some improvements in the facility but believes there is still much work to be done.

“You’ll kind of fix one problem, but then there’s still three more,” Martin said. “People are still not receiving the care that they need. You’re going to hear from every jail in the nation, ‘We don’t have enough staff.’ And we recognize that. But that doesn’t mean you can treat people the way they’re being treated.”

Brown said the conditions at the jail are improving, and cited the Department of Corrections as noticing the improvements in the facilities day-to-day operations.

“(The Department of Corrections) reviewed it and they’ve communicated that they see the progress that’s being made there,” Brown said. “So, specifically, safety and security, that we talked about improving, has been improving.”

Moving forward, Brown said he doesn’t anticipate contraband situations to continue to be an issue.

“We’re going to continue to work with all of our partners to try to mitigate anyone having these types of experiences,” he said.