transport criminal offenders, various police agencies including the State Police, the Capitol Police and the Sheriff assist with the transportation. Apparently, none of these law enforcement agencies possess sufficient resources to provide transportation of criminal offenders on a regular or daily basis during periods when the Department is unavailable for such transportation. Similarly, the Department lacks resources to extend its transportation operation to Family Court for each hour the Court is open during the business day.
Third, we further understand that there are no standard measures or procedures for the transportation of criminal offenders from the Family Court to prison on a statewide basis. This creates a critical situation, particularly in Kent and Sussex Counties. In these counties, it is our understanding that the Department transports adult offenders sentenced to a prison term only during the hours of 12:30 p.m. and 2:00 p.m. when the correctional transportation officers leave the Superior Court cell blocks to return to prison. Consequently, when criminal offenders are sentenced in Family Court during the late afternoon hours, the Department is unable to transport them to prison. This places an extreme burden on the Family Court staff who must find secure transportation for offenders sentenced to immediate prison terms late in the afternoon after the Department has completed its routinely scheduled transportation. In addition to
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