The Conway Chamber of Commerce sponsors a monthly Women’s Power Luncheon. From the Sun News:
Networking and bonding with someone who thinks more like you do is easier. Men bond on a golf course and talk about sports, not emotions, said Kelly Cauble, who initiated the luncheons. Women naturally weave emotions into their bonding rites.
This month’s lunch was held at the county jail last week. The women toured the J. Reuben Long Detention Center. Speakers included an undercover police officer, a prosecutor and a magistrate judge – all women.
Horry County Sheriff’s Capt. Susan Safford,
a 20-year veteran, said murders in Horry County were so rare when she began her job that jail workers knew the details of each one. Now, she continued, the jail houses 40 people charged with murder and she knows none of the details.
By the way, that’s Paula Gardner in the center of the picture.
J. Reuben Long has received a lot of attention lately. A major addition was recently completed. The jail is now more secure and bond hearings are held more efficiently. Unfortunately, the jail now holds more people and the “if you build it, they will come” syndrome will eventually take over. It will soon exceed maximum capacity, again.
I’m glad the women toured the jail. No doubt they were shown the new security features, courtrooms and told about bail hearings. I‘m sure they were told that the jail primarily houses two types of inmates: Those sentenced to serve ninety days or less and those waiting for trial. I hope they were also told that the majority of the inmates have been waiting for their trial for months. Some have already waited for years. Some of these inmates are innocent. Most of them will wait much longer before they are taken to court.
Again, I’m glad the women toured the jail. Maybe the next tour could be a look into why it takes the state so long to take these cases to trial.
