Within the walls of this jail, the effects of overcrowding are far-reaching. It affects the guards, the prisoners and the prisoners' families. It affects the way the jail is administrated, whether and how improvements and renovations are done. In short, the pressure from the extra prisoners has pushed the structure and its resources to a bursting point. The jail cells were built to be single-occupancy, but, over the years, Amerson has been forced to put as many as four bunks in the tiny cells.
Many inmates sleep on mattresses thrown on the floor.
Even the jail's barbershop had to be converted into a cell. On days when there is visitation, which begins at 6 p.m., the prisoners' families and friends begin to form lines eight hours early. On a good day, when 10 guards are on duty, there is one guard for every 37 prisoners. More commonly, six or seven are on duty and three or four are occupied with transporting prisoners, leaving only a few to deal with the prisoners. Even the state's ratio is 10 prisoners to every guard - and that's the worst in the nation.