Touring the county jail: A glimpse inside

The Pamlico County Detention Facility is attached to the sheriff's offices in Bayboro.

In movies, the county jail is often seen as something distant or dirty, the end of a bad night or the start of a bad dream. But in a small town or community, it feels close. We drive past the Pamlico County Detention Facility everyday, next to our courthouse stoplight. Speaking to people in the county, it seems as if almost everyone has a family member or loved-one who has seen the inside of the jail, first-hand.

For my family, this happened in December. Someone my family loves called each of us from inside the Pamlico County jail, though we hadn’t heard from her in years. Can we help? Can we post bail to get her out? She doesn’t want to spend Christmas in jail.

We fretted over what to do. It hurts to have someone you love incarcerated.

The bench where inmates are seated until bail is set.

Maybe it is the best thing for her, we said to each other, repeating it to ourselves. She had issues with drugs. This was probably why she was there. We weren’t sure. She was there long enough to detox, right?

Everyone is different. There is no one set story to learn from or advice to give that fits every person who has to serve time in jail or prison.

But what is it like? Is it the scariest thing you can imagine? What can we do when a loved one is there?

A member of the sheriff’s department kindly gave me a tour of the jail—to share with you a glimpse into the inner workings of that red brick facility we all see off highway 55.

Lt. Nicole Collock gives me a tour of the Pamlico County jail.

Lt. Nicole Collock, who has worked at the county jail for eight years, explained the incarceration process to me. When someone is arrested by the county, a member of the police force drives police vans or cars into the gated area called the sally port which is next to the detention facility. This is the stage where emotions run high, she said. The person is searched for firearms or narcotics, then brought inside. (Bringing these items in the building would be a felony.) Then, Covid and alcohol tests are given, and the individual is handcuffed and seated on a bench while bail is posted. The severity of their crime and their mental and physical condition determines where they will be placed in the jail.

The person is provided with a shower, given phone time and escorted to their block—most are two-story cell-blocks with a common area. Sixty percent of the people who come through the jail are from the U.S. Marshall’s office, held for federal crimes.

A cell-block inside the Pamlico County Detention Facility.

There are two 16-man cell blocks, two 32-man cell blocks and “F Block” which holds 12 women. Some inmates volunteer their skills to paint or help the department and can be seen working throughout the building, all while being escorted. When I looked in cell-block B, a man walked fast laps around a room the size of a picnic area.

The county jail, attached to the sheriff’s office, is much larger than it appears from the outside. It is a seemingly endless maze, lined with heavy doors that lock with a buzz and a click, leading to rooms with small windows if any at all.

Often, you can hear yelling, banging on the doors, from disturbed inmates.

Most of the cases they see involve drugs or problems exacerbated by a mental illness, often both, says Lt. Collock. People who suffer a detox from a heavy drug addiction and those who are on suicide watch are placed in individual cells next to the central desk, so that they can be watched closely to keep them safe.

Lt. Willie Banks listens to an inmate in a holding cell.

“There is a lot of detox—we dry them out as much as you can. We take care of them, make sure they aren’t dehydrated. If they detox too hard, they go to the hospital,” Lt. Collock continues.

“Most of the time, we are just listening. It’s kind of like being a psychologist,” says Lt. Collock. “Being here you see things from a different angle, you see everyone at the lowest point in their lives.”

Major Anthony Collins, the person in charge of the jail, teases each Lieutenant as they walk by, trying to add a bit of humor to a hard job.

“We are trying to save lives in here,” he says of the inmates. “Maybe even build up their confidence. We tell them, you can get your family back. And sometimes, it is true, being here can be the best thing for them.”

For families who have loved ones inside, Major Collins offered the following advice, “Help isn’t always financial. Most inmates need therapeutic help. They need to be treated like people. They need encouragement. That’s what they need. That’s what a family can do.”

A holding cell inside the Pamlico County Detention Facility.

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