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GREENSBORO — The death of an inmate two weeks ago at the Guilford County jail downtown has renewed concerns among prisoner advocates over safety at the jail.

Lawyers with N.C. Prisoner Legal Services, a Raleigh-based firm that lobbies for the civil rights of state-jailed inmates, toured the jails in Greensboro and High Point, and the Guilford prison farm Feb. 2.

The group has since reiterated its concerns over guards’ use of Tasers after the Aug. 18 death of Ronald Cobbs at the jail.

He died after a scuffle with a guard who was checking his cell for contraband.

Cobbs was shot with a Taser.

He later lost consciousness and died at Moses Cone Hospital.

Guilford County Sheriff BJ Barnes says he supports his officers and jail policy, and he says his staff is doing all it can to maintain order.

An official cause of Cobbs’ death has not been released; it is unclear what role, if any, the Taser played in his death. The SBI is investigating the death.

After their tour of the jail, lawyers with Prisoner Legal Services expressed concern about the use of Tasers and restraint chairs, which they described as “dangerous” and “excessive,” based on the responses they received from detention officers during their tour.

The chair allows officers to strap down an inmate’s arms and legs to prevent movement.

“Officers stated they basically use Tasers as their second line of control,” said Michele Luecking-Sunman, an attorney who took the tour.

“If they weren’t able to control an inmate, and he wouldn’t comply, and using hands was not effective, the next route was using a Taser, and that’s not acceptable to us.”

The group’s lawyers favor the use of pepper spray as a second alternative because they believe it poses less risk of death or serious injury.

“Your officers reported that they do not like pepper spray because they have to decontaminate everyone,” Luecking-Sunman wrote in a letter to the sheriff’s office.

Barnes said the decision to use Tasers is made on a case-by-case basis, but he said Tasers often are picked over pepper spray because of crowding.

“If we spray pepper spray, the officer gets it, all of the other prisoners get it,” Barnes said.

“The officer has to make a judgment call and that judgment call is made on how many people he’s got that he’s trying to affect by what he does.”

Regarding restraint chairs, Prisoner Legal Services said it felt the chairs were being used as frequently as 10 times a month, from what members were told during the tour.

Typically, most jails use the chairs a few times each year during booking, the group said.

“We use the restraint chair as a tool to assure that the person is not hurt or the officer is not hurt,” Barnes said.

“It is used when a person is hurting themselves (or other prisoners). For instance, a guy beating his head against a cell door. ... The way for us to stop him from doing that is to put him in the restraint chair.”

Barnes said the inmate is monitored while in the chair by staffers and medical personnel and is removed once he or she is believed not to present a further danger.

The inmate is allowed breaks to use the restroom and receives all meals, the sheriff said.

Despite the crowded conditions that make for a difficult environment for inmates and officers, Barnes said his staff is dedicated to keeping inmates safe and protecting their civil rights.

“The majority of the men and women of this sheriff’s office are doing their darnedest to make a safe environment not only for citizens, but for the prisoners in that jail,” Barnes said.

The new Greensboro jail, with a capacity of 1,032, is expected to open in late 2011, and officials hope it will ease many current problems.

The jail now holds 397 inmates, but often holds more than 500.

Contact Ryan Seals at 373-7077 or ryan.seals@news-record.com