Shelby County Hires Former Judge to Reduce Jail Population - Articles

All Content

Shelby County Hires Former Judge to Reduce Jail Population

Posted by: Azya Thornton on Jun 2, 2025

The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office announced Thursday that it is contracting with a retired judge to help reduce the jail’s population. According to the Daily Memphian, retired Shelby County Criminal Court Judge Robert “Bobby” Carter will serve as the office’s jail population management coordinator. Carter, who served as judge from 2010 to 2022, told the outlet that his goal is to reduce the jail population to 80% of capacity. As of February, the main jail had an average daily population of 2,547 inmates, though it was built to hold 2,400. Carter also said criminal cases need to move more quickly through the courts: “If we don’t change anything, if we could handle cases more efficiently, if they take a month less, that will have an aggregate effect on the jail population."